Seniors, Freshmen, and a Learning Experience
by Classy Venus
Summary: Yami, Bakura, and Marik are in their final year of highschool. They're the most popular guys in school, but everyone has their problems. Three unique freshmen are out to teach them a thing or two. YamixHikari as main pairings. Complete!
1. The Beginning

**A/N:**

Welcome to the first installment of _Seniors, Freshmen, and a Learning Experience_! I hope you enjoy reading it almost as much as I enjoyed writing it!

* * *

Atem "Yami" Ahknemkhanen sauntered casually down the hallway. Following on either side of him were his two best friends, Bakura Necrophades and Marik Tokoshie (1). It was a brand new school year and all three of them were seniors. One more year and they'd finally be done.

"Thank Ra school's back in! I thought I was gonna go crazy with all that stupid family shit I had to do this summer!" Bakura complained, but what else was new? He was tall and thin with barely noticeable upper arm muscles. The albino threw up his hands and pulled on his long shaggy white hair. He squeezed his eyes shut in aggravation. Just thinking about it ticked him off.

"You mean more crazy than normal, tomb robber?" Atem, more commonly known as Yami, asked and smirked. Several fangirls sighed and slumped against the lockers clutching their books to their chests and stared at him dreamily. His smirk only widened. Clearly he was enjoying the attention.

"Shut it, pharaoh!"

"Both of you shut it! And Yami, stop encouraging the fangirls!" Marik growled menacingly. Some students passing by them ran for their lives. Yami and Bakura just laughed at him. "I mean it!"

"Ah, Marik. Calm down. Sheesh. What's the point of having all these fangirls if you don't tease the living hell out of them?" Yami asked and, to prove his point, locked eyes with a blond freshman. He blushed crimson and ran into the nearest classroom.

"Whatever…" Marik said glumly, silently agreeing with him.

"Ooh! I think I know his problem! He's still thinking about that blond brat he met at the beach this summer! You know I'm right." Bakura teased.

"Am not!" Marik snapped back. If you looked close enough, there was a ghost of a blush on his deeply tanned face.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Guys!" Yami yelled, silencing them as he turned to face them, "Both of you, shut up. So what if Marik is thinking things he shouldn't about some guy he met this summer. Atleast, from what I've heard, he actually has a spine. Unlike your little crush, Bakura." Bakura flushed slightly and Marik snickered at his friend's expression.

Just then, Yami felt someone collide with him. Yami remained upright, but the person who ran into him fell to the ground. His books scattered everywhere. Yami just stared down at the boy, who looked like he was in a rush.

"Oh my gosh! I am SO sorry!" the small boy apologized while scrambling to get his books. He sounded scared.

"It's alright. Really, it is." Yami tried to reassure him, bending down to pick up his last book. They both stood up and their eyes met as Yami handed the smaller boy his book. Yami found himself looking into the purest amethyst eyes he'd ever seen. They looked shocked, scared, and…was he crying?!

"I'm sorry." he mumbled, casting his eyes downward as he sidestepped Yami and continued running down the hallway.

Yami turned to look at his two companions with confusion written all over his face. "Usually they faint when I talk to them."

Bakura and Marik both blinked once before launching into a fit on uncontrollable hysterics. They held each other for support as their laughter echoed through the hallway. Yami looked unamused. Bakura managed to catch his breath first. "Maybe you've lost your touch pharaoh."

Yami turned away from them and caught a random junior's eye. He looked at him through half-lidded eyes and purred out a seductive "hey". Needless to say, he collapsed on the spot. Yami turned back to Bakura and Marik. "No, that's not it."

"Overkill much." Bakura observed. "Maybe he wasn't gay?" he suggested.

"Nah. He looked too wimpy to be straight. Besides, when has that ever mattered? Yami could seduce a telephone pole if he wanted to." Marik remarked.

"Or Old Man Hawkins." Bakura chuckled at the memory. Yami had gotten a detention from Professor Hawkins, the English teacher, in his sophomore year for being late to class everyday. He had gotten out of the detention by telling Hawkins complete lies about what exactly it was he was doing that had made him so late. It had been complete bullshit, but he had left Hawkins with quite a mental image. Yami had gotten off without so much as a demerit. "I think the pharaoh still gets funny looks from that guy."

While this conversation was going on, Yami was thinking about the kid from earlier. It was almost like a mirror image of himself had walked into him. Keyword almost. The kid barely came up to his chest and had large amethyst eyes. Yami's were a stunning crimson. They both had similar looking tri-colored spiky hair, aside from a blond bang or two. The boy's face was also slightly rounder, with an air of innocence. Other than that, they looked identical. It wasn't everyday you met a stranger that looked exactly like you, after all.

"Earth to Yami! Oi, pharaoh!" Bakura yelled in his year. "We're gonna be late for homeroom! Come on!"

"Ah, right. Thanks." Yami said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Space cadet…"

* * *

After homeroom, Yami and Marik headed off to History while Bakura went to Gym. Yami and Marik were thrilled when they found out they had the same teacher they'd had for their entire high school days. Yes, that was sarcasm. They hated his guts.

They walked slowly into the classroom to see Professor Hayato, an elderly man with gray hair and pale blue eyes. He wore a plain white shirt and black slacks. He turned around to face them as they entered and scowled. "Well look who's here," he said demurely, "The pharaoh and the tomb keeper. Get to the back of the room."

Those who had been in class with Marik and Yami in their first year of high school laughed, while everyone else just look confused. Their recurring inside joke of calling each other pharaoh, tombkeeper, and tombrobber started out in Hayato's classroom while they were doing the Egyptian unit in their textbooks.

Yami sat down in the seat farthest back and closest to the window. He watched with a bored expression as the class filed in, disappointed, for some reason, when the kid from earlier didn't show up.

* * *

They both met up with Bakura outside the gym before second period. He was red in the face and grinning like an idiot. "You guys will never guess who has Gym with me!"

"Anzu and her cheerleading pigs?" Marik asked hopefully. They hated Anzu's guts, and if Bakura had Gym with her he could get away with hitting her with sports equipment. Not that he didn't do that already.

"Nope."

"Darn…"

"Ryou!"

"That little freshman that looks like you?" Marik asked, "Your obsession? The wimpy one? That Ryou?"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "No, the other one."

"That's great, Bakura. Now you can watch him strip twice a day." Yami commented.

"I know! It's awesome!"

"…Oook…Well then, what do you guys have next?"

They all pulled out schedules.

"Math. Ugh…" Marik read off.

"Same." Bakura said.

"Damn. Science." Yami pouted, causing several fangirls passing them by to shriek and faint. "I really ought to be more careful…" he muttered, looking around at all the unconscious fangirls.

"Ha! Later!" Marik and Bakura yelled before racing off.

"Oh well…" Yami sighed in defeat and headed for the stairwell, leaving the fangirls on the floor. He opened up the double doors and narrowed his eyes in anger at what he saw. The amethyst-eyed boy from earlier was being cornered by Ushio and his thugs.

"Well well well…Look at what we have here, boys. A freshman who won't pay for protection from bullies. I guess he hasn't learned his lesson yet. Let's fix that, shall we?" he smiled sadistically. The other two thugs laughed dumbly.

Yami cleared his throat, just loud enough for them to hear. The bullies spun around, the anger in their eyes at being interrupted quickly turning to fear. "Y-Yami!"

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked coldly, glaring daggers at Ushio.

Ushio cringed. "N-Nothing, Yami sir! We'll just uh, be g-going now!" They ran up the stairs as fast as their legs would carry them.

Yami turned to face the boy in the corner, anger quickly turning into concern. "Are you alright?" he asked, offering his hand to the smaller boy.

The boy had been watching the whole exchange in fear. The bullies had looked unshakable, and yet Yami had scared them off like they were nothing. Yes, he knew who Yami was. Everyone did. He was one of the most popular guys in school, and here he was. His eyes widened with realization. What was Yami going to do to him?

"Hey! Can you here me? Are you alright, kid?" Yami asked again, slightly panicked. He kneeled down in front of the smaller boy and took his face in his hands, searching his eyes.

"Y-yes, I-I'm fine! Thank you…" the boy said, shyly meeting Yami's steady gaze, his cheeks tinted pink.

Yami withdrew his hands and stood up. He offered the boy his hand and pulled him up as if he weighed nothing at all. "I'm glad. I'm Atem Ahknemkhanen, by the way, but you can call me Yami. Everyone does."

"Yuugi Mutou," the boy replied shyly.

Yuugi smiled at Yami and he couldn't help smiling back. 'Why would anyone want to hurt such an innocent kid?' he wondered. "So, what do you have next?" he asked instead.

"Science. Room 108."

"Hey! Me, too! Is it alright if I walk you there?" he asked, offering Yuugi his arm.

Yuugi blushed and linked his arm around Yami's. "S-Sure…"

* * *

"Welcome to Advanced Life Science, students! I'm your teacher Mr. Pegasus! It's simply fabulous to see you all here today! Let's get started by getting our textbooks and breaking into lab groups of three, okay? Chop chop!" Mr. Pegasus, a tall man with long silver hair wearing a bright red suit, announced cheerfully as he brought out a huge box full of books.

Yami walked over to Yuugi, who was sitting in a corner trying not to be noticed. He looked up and his expression brightened when he saw Yami. "Want to be lab partners with Jirou and me?" Jirou, who was standing behind Yami, waved. He was tall with sandy blond hair and steely gray eyes. His hair flopped over one of his eyes slightly, but not enough to obscure his vision.

"Jirou?"

"You need three people for a lab group, and he's alright. The least fan boy-ish of this lot, anyway." Yami explained.

"Oh, ok!"

They walked over to the lab table Jirou was sitting at and sat down on either side of him. The whole class opened up their textbooks and listened to Pegasus ramble and rave about the joys of binary fission while dancing around the room. Yuugi tried his best to pay attention, but he couldn't quite ignore the looks his new lab partner was giving him.

* * *

**A/N:**

Goodbye, chapter one. Hello, chapter two! Don't forget to leave a comment!


	2. The Pep Rally

**A/N:**

Chapter two! Enjoy it's slightly re-edited glory!

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi… and was ruined by 4Kids Entertainment…but you didn't hear that from me…

* * *

Yuugi walked down the hallway towards the cafeteria. After Science, he had parted ways with Yami so they could go to separate electives. The whole situation was confusing to Yuugi. First, Yami saves him. Then, he wanted to be friends with him. Yuugi didn't know which was more unbelievable. Here was this senior student, top in his classes, not to mention the sexiest thing since sex, and he was taking some sort of interest in him! Yuugi Mutou of all people!

Yuugi pushed open the cafeteria doors and was hit by a wall of sound. The room was packed full of picnic bench-style tables and students all wearing the school's royal blue uniform. The students, that is, not the tables. He looked around with a nervous expression on his face.

"Hey, Yuugi! Over here!" someone called out. Yuugi looked over to where the voice was coming from, the back right corner of the room, and waved at the group sitting there. He rushed over and sat down next to the boy who had called out to him. He was tall with unruly blond hair and auburn eyes. Katsuya Jounouchi was his full name, but most of his friends preferred to call him Jou.

Sitting across the table from Jou and Yuugi was a boy with long black hair tied up in a ponytail and a headband with a red and black diamond pattern on it. He had dazzling green eyes and wore one dice-shaped earring. Ryuji Otogi was his name. Aside from being a student, Otogi owned his own game franchise called Dungeon Dice Monsters.

Next to Otogi was Hiroto Honda. Standing a few inches taller than the rest of his friends, Honda was strong-looking with russet colored hair and light brown colored eyes. He was also the head of the school's beautification project.

Then there was Malik Ishtar, who sat next to Otogi. Malik had lavender colored eyes and long platinum blond hair that hung curtain-style around his face. Unlike the rest of his friends, Malik had a deep copper tan from all the summers he spent visiting his relatives in Egypt.

And, sitting next to Yuugi, was Ryou Bakura. Ryou was barely taller than Yuugi and was extremely shy. He had long white hair that reached just below his shoulders and warm chocolate colored eyes. In direct contrast to Malik's skin tone, Ryou's skin was so ghostly pale it didn't look healthy.

"Hey, guys!" Yuugi greeted them all once he had sat down, "Did you all have a good summer?"

"Definitely!" Jou replied with a goofy grin, "Me an' Shizuka went to the beach!"

"Shizuka and I." Ryou corrected exasperatedly, as if he had been doing this a lot.

Jou looked confused. "No you didn't."

"How about you, Malik?" Yuugi asked, ignoring his arguing friends.

"Same old stuff. Went to Egypt. Saw some sand," he replied with a bored expression.

"Oh. Honda? Otogi?"

"I mostly worked at my dad's garage fixin' cars. You know. Manly stuff like that." Honda said, trying to sound aloof to impress Otogi.

"I worked on publicizing Dungeon Dice Monsters all summer. Did you hear? They've been saying it was a big hit in America!" Otogi said excitedly, either not noticing or not caring about Honda's attempts to impress him.

"Really? That's great, Otogi!" Jou congratulated him. "What about your summer, Yuugi?"

Yuugi and the gang continued to talk about their summers and about Otogi's accomplishment. On the other side of the cafeteria, Yami, Bakura, and Marik were having a much angrier conversation.

"Ushio just won't quit, will he? The fucker…" Bakura grumbled, angrily biting into an apple.

"Apparently not. I'm glad I happened to be there at the right time. Poor kid…" Yami mumbled absentmindedly, staring off into space and stabbing his salad with a plastic fork carelessly.

"What's he to you, pharaoh?" Marik asked unkindly, ordering one of his fangirls to get him another soda.

"He happens to be a new friend of mine." Yami stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Marik snorted, trying to muffle his laughter. " Shut up. We're going to have to make sure Ushio gets the message this time…" he sighed and unknowingly started stabbing his salad even harder, anger building in his voice. "Picking on such an innocent kid like that. Where does that bastard get off, doing something like that?!"

Bakura suddenly grabbed Yami's wrist, saving the salad from further mutilation. "You're hurting it's feelings." he stated. They both stared at him. "What?! He's giving the salad the wrong message. It's gonna think it's unwanted and it'll commit suicide."

"…Alright then, Bakura. If you say so…"

* * *

"Hello, students, and welcome to the back to school pep rally! Yay!" Pegasus cheered from his position in the middle of the gymnasium floor. All the students were gathered in the gym for the annual pep rally to show their school spirit. The majority of the students at Domino City High School had school spirit. A few others, however…

"Fucking pep rally…I'm fucking cheerful enough without this useless pep rally, ok!?" Marik yelled, barely being heard over the cheering crowd of spirited students. Yami and Bakura just continued to look bored.

"Ah, that was a good welcome! I feel so loved! I love you too, students!" Pegasus yelled enthusiastically to them.

The gym teacher walked up to Pegasus and whispered in his ear.

"Ah! Thank you, sir! Alright, students! Give it up for the Domino High Spirit Squad!" Pegasus ran to the side of the gym as twelve over-enthusiastic girls ran to the middle of the floor carrying blue pom-poms and one with a megaphone. They were scantily clad in tiny blue mini skirts and white tank tops with blue piping. The crowd of students went nuts. Marik, Bakura, and Yami all sighed in unison.

Hip-hop music blared out of speakers as the cheerleaders started doing a routine. They did flips, back handsprings, handstands, splits, and lifts in time to the music. At the end they all went down into splits, their ankles locking with each others and formed a big letter D. The gathered students cheered uproariously for them all.

"They're so good!" Yuugi exclaimed, turning to face Ryou, "Right?"

"Definitely!" Ryou agreed whole heartedly.

"Eh. They aren't so bad. That head cheerleader of theirs kept switching her arms and her splits were mediocre at best." Otogi said, clapping less enthusiastically than the rest.

"Huh?!" Jou looked baffled.

"Well, see her end pose she's in?" Otogi asked.

"Yeah…"

"Everyone else is facing out and she's facing in. Also, her arms are too close together."

"Uhm wow, Otogi. I would have never noticed." Yuugi said, focusing on the head cheerleader. She had azure eyes and muddy brown hair that was cut to her chin. "She looks a little thin."

Otogi snorted. "And plastic. Look at how much make-up she has on, too." he watched on with calculating eyes as the next routine started up.

"Finally! Someone else gets it!" Bakura exclaimed, leaning forward and looking over Honda's shoulder at Otogi. "I thought we were the only ones she hadn't fooled. Looks like the freshman aren't hopeless after all."

They hadn't noticed it until now, but Yami, Bakura, and Marik were sitting on the bleacher right behind Yuugi, Jou, Ryou, Honda, Otogi, and Malik.

"Oh, uhm, hello." Yuugi blinked. He looked over at the person next to Bakura. "Oh! Hey, Yami!"

Yami looked over, noticing Yuugi was in front of him. "Hey! Enjoying the pep rally?"

"Totally! The cheerleaders are really good!"

Bakura and Yami just stared at him, then Bakura burst out laughing. "Anzu? Good? Oh man, kid, you're funny! H-hey, Yami? This the kid from earlier?" he asked.

"Yes. He is, and I would appreciate it if you didn't laugh just because he doesn't know." Yami glared, silencing him immediately.

"Doesn't know what?" Yuugi asked.

"About what kind of people those cheerleaders really are. Evil, shallow, promiscuous clones."

"Oh, it can't be that bad, can it?"

"It's actually worse, kid." Bakura cut in.

While this conversation was going on, Jou, Honda, and Otogi were staring at Yuugi in shock. How in hell did he know the three gods of the school?! Ryou turned back around to watch the cheerleaders perform more routines, counting the mistakes he was now aware of. He didn't find it strange that Yuugi knew them, because Yuugi told him about the incident with Ushio in the stairwell.

Bakura jumped down a bench and sat next to Ryou. "You're that kid in my gym class, right? Ryou, right?" he asked, trying to sound casual. He had, in fact, known who Ryou was for quite some time.

"Yes and yes." Ryou answered, turning to look at Bakura in confusion. "Why?"

"Well, why not?" Bakura answered with a smile.

Marik and Malik both hadn't said a single word since their friends had stared talking. They just stared at each other in disbelief. Marik was the first to find his voice. "I thought you said you were going to school in Cairo?" he half questioned.

"Change of plans…" Malik replied, still stunned that his "friend" he met on his yearly vacation in Egypt lived in Domino and went to the same school as him.

If you blinked, you would have missed it. Quicker than Malik thought possible, Marik pulled the younger up onto the seat next to him, threw his arms around his waist, and proceeded to convey to Malik just how much he had missed him.

The cheerleaders had finished their final cheer and they ran off into the locker rooms. The crowd gave them a standing ovation. When they had quieted down somewhat, Mr. Pegasus came back to the middle of the gym and announced the school teams. He had lost the attention of a few students in particular, however.

* * *

**A/N:**

Goodbye, chapter two. Hello, chapter three!


	3. The Invitations

**A/N:**

Chapter three. More edits oh hooray!

**Disclaimer:**

Yu-Gi-Oh! still isn't mine. Quit asking already.

_

* * *

_

_Buzz…Buzz…Buzz…Buzz…_

Yuugi moaned softly and rolled over in his bed. His hand came up and gently tapped the off button on his alarm clock. He sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Blinking wearily, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and shakily stood up. He walked around for a few seconds, and then walked into his closet to get a clean school uniform.

"Yuugi!" his grandfather called up the stairs to him, "Hurry up!"

"I'll be right there, Grandpa!" Yuugi called back down to him. He pulled on the blue pants, white dress shirt, and blue jacket that made up the school uniform and ran down the stairs into the kitchen. He walked over to the kitchen cabinet and grabbed a cereal bowl. "Good morning!" Yuugi greeted the man sitting at the table. He was short and stout with wild gray hair that spiked up and big eyes.

"Good morning, Yuugi. Take a look at this news broadcast."

On the small television set in the kitchen was a blonde news reporter with a cheerful face. She was sitting at a desk and there was a picture of a water tower behind her. "Early this morning, a local student was found stuck at the top of the Domino City water tower. Reports say he was tied up with thick strands of rope and had a cloth over his mouth." They showed the picture of the student.

Yuugi gasped. "That's Ushio!"

"Hmm? A friend of yours?" his grandpa asked.

"Uhm, not exactly…" he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Alright then. Hurry up, or you'll be late."

Yuugi hurriedly finished his cereal and grabbed his shoes by the door. He slipped them on and grabbed his book bag. Waving at his grandpa once more, Yuugi was out the door, the shop bell jingling merrily behind him.

* * *

"Ahahaha! Excellent, Bakura!" Marik slapped him a high-five.

"The water tower. I never would've thought of that." Yami said while dialing his locker combination. He opened the lock and quickly stepped to the side as an avalanche of flowers, candy, and pieces of notebook paper came crashing out. He rolled his eyes at the mess. "Don't you guys ever have this problem?"

"Yeah, but never this bad." Marik informed him. "You need to get a boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever. Maybe they'd leave you alone."

"I highly doubt that." Yami replied, nodding his head in greeting at the janitor that came by his locker everyday to clean up the mess of stuff. "All they ever see me for is my looks. Alas, that is the price of being gorgeous!" he said dramatically and put one hand over his forehead, a pained expression on his face.

"Heh. Whatever, Your Highness." Marik teased. The bell rang just then. "Yay! Time to go learn!" he linked arms with Bakura and they skipped down the hallway. Yami just shook his head and took off after them.

* * *

"Pass the ball, Ryuzaki!" Bakura yelled at a short kid with long spiky burgundy hair as they charged down the court. The boy quickly relinquished possession of the bright orange ball and Bakura skillfully shot it into the net.

The gym teacher blew his whistle. "That's game! Go change, everybody!"

The class trudged off the court and into the locker rooms.

"My God you're good, Necrophades!" a boy with short hair tinted blue and thick gold rimmed glasses exclaimed, standing next to Bakura and taking off his gym attire in what he thought was a seductive way.

"Uh, yeah. I know." Bakura replied and moved over next to Ryou, trying to put as much distance between himself and the other boy as possible. "Hey, Ryou!"

Ryou's breath came out in short pants. He turned away from Bakura. "Give me a m-moment." he choked out quickly. Taking a few deep breaths, he managed to get his breathing under control and turned to face Bakura again. "Sorry about that..."

"You ok?" he asked, voice filled with concern.

"Just my asthma. Don't worry, it wasn't an attack or anything!" He added, seeing Bakura's panicked expression, "I just get a little winded after exercise. No big deal."

"Oh. Ok, if you say so…" he replied, but still seemed a little apprehensive.

"How are you that good at basketball?" Ryou asked, changing the subject. His face was slowly returning to it's normal pale color.

"You get like that, being the captain of the team." Bakura shrugged, finding a shirtless Ryou more interesting than basketball at the moment.

"Really?! You're the captain?" Ryou exclaimed, and to Bakura's dismay, buttoned up his white uniform shirt.

"Sure am. You should come to a game sometime." Bakura suggested as he pulled on his blue jacket.

"Maybe I will," Ryou agreed, smiling up at him, "But only if you're playing."

* * *

Yami and Marik sat in their AP History class, completely bored to death. Hayato was off rambling about The Cold War. Marik had been excited about the lecture, until he found out that it wasn't an actual war. Yami was currently staring off into space while Marik was scribbling in his notebook. Suddenly, a folded up piece of pink stationary landed neatly on his desk. Yami looked over to his right using his peripheral vision and saw Anzu holding up her mirror putting on more lipstick. She was watching him through it.

He carefully unfolded the paper, expecting for it to explode at any moment. It didn't explode, needless to say. It was an invitation for a party after the football game on Friday at Anzu's house. He looked directly at her and raised one eyebrow, his eyes saying "give me one reason". She turned to look at him and smirked, her eyes saying "be there or I'll kill you." He turned back to face the front of the room and barely noticed it when a pink note was flicked onto Marik's desk.

* * *

They all met up outside the gym after their first period classes were over.

"Ryou said he's gonna come to a game sometime!" Bakura proudly informed his two friends, using all the self-control he had not to bounce up and down like a happy lunatic. Which he was.

"Uhm, congratulations. By the way, Anzu held me at gunpoint until I promised I'd give this to you," Yami said, shoving a piece of pink paper sprayed with strong perfume into his friend's hand.

He carefully opened it and read it. "Oh my Ra. She expects us to come to this thing?! No way."

"But I have to go because I'm on the football team! You have to come!" Marik complained, looking heartbroken.

"Alright, but you owe me…Hey it says we can bring a guest with us!" Bakura observed while he was checking the paper for explosives, poison, or both, "Oh, Ryouuuuu!" he called in a sing-song voice and frolicked away, leaving Marik and Yami to stare at his retreating form. Their friend never ceased to confuse them.

They left their stalker of a best friend to his Ryou hunting and walked up the stairs to their next class together. They parted ways and Marik headed into the math classroom. He dragged himself towards his desk and slouched down in his seat, slamming his books on the surface.

"Hey," a voice next to him greeted, trying to get his attention.

Marik ignored him. What right did they have to be happy when he had to go to stupid Anzu's football party?

"Hey! Uhm, hello? I'm talking to you?"

Marik just stared blankly ahead.

"Yo, idiot!"

"WHAT?!" Marik yelled and glared death at the person next to him. That person flinched and dropped their lavender eyes to their desk. They muttered a 'sorry' and shook their platinum blond hair over their eyes. "Shit! Malik, I'm so sorry! I had no idea it was you! Why are you here, anyway? You weren't yesterday."

"They made a mistake in my schedule yesterday. I was supposed to be here and they sent me to normal math…" Malik mumbled.

"How about I make it up to you?" Marik asked seductively and swung Malik easily up onto his lap, "If you go with me to Anzu's party after the game Friday, I'll make it worth your while."

Malik laughed. "Deal."

"Tokoshie, Ishtar, move now!" the teacher yelled, slamming the door.

* * *

"Ew, that's disgusting!" Yuugi complained to his lab partners, "Why are we doing this so early in the year, anyway?"

"Aw come on, Yuugi. Dissection's not that bad," Yami tried to reassure him, "Besides, I've heard slicing up the pig is fun!"

Yuugi groaned and wrapped his arms around his middle.

"You ok?" Jirou asked him, wrapping his muscled arm around Yuugi's tiny shoulders. Yami growled softly but made no comment.

"I'll be alright…" Yuugi said while looking down at the picture of the pig in his textbook. He shuddered and suppressed a moan.

"Alrighty, students! Class is almost over, sadly. Close your books and put your notebooks away! Ryu, honey, that means you, too!" Pegasus called cheerfully. A girl in the front row sighed, patted her notebook lovingly, and stowed it in her messenger bag. The cover of the notebook was drawn on with marker. If one was paying attention, one would have seen the words 'YGO Yaoi YYxY Squeeee!' written on the cover.

Yuugi quickly snapped his Science textbook shut, glad to be rid of the image for the moment. The bell rang and all the students filed out into the hallway.

* * *

"Ew, that's disgusting!" Ryou stuck his tongue out at Yuugi and slid his tray down the lunch line.

"That's exactly what I said!" Yuugi agreed.

"Glad I don't have Pegasus!"

"Lucky," Yuugi said and paid the cashier, "There is no way they actually expect me to cut open something that used to be alive!"

Jou came up to Yuugi and walked with him to their table, "Well, it's dead now."

"So not the point, Jou!"

~elsewhere~

"So not the point, Bakura!" Yami growled, choosing not to attack his salad and instead viciously stabbing his macaroni.

"It doesn't have to be the point!" Bakura argued, "Ryou said yes, so ask Yuugi to go with you!"

"I would never subject him to Anzu like that. Unlike some people," Death glare.

"Please?" Whining.

"No," More death glare.

"Please?" More whining.

"No…," Ready to kill.

"Pleeeease?" Psychotic puppy eyes.

"No!" End of his rope.

"Shut up!" Marik yelled, finally sick of his two friends and their bickering, "Yami, just ask Yuugi to go with you to the party."

"But why?" Yami whined like Bakura, causing a passing fangirl to squeak with delight and go write a one-shot about it in her notebook.

"Because no doubt Ryou and Malik will tell Yuugi that they got invited and he'd feel left out. He'd probably think there's something wrong with him. Poor little Yuugi will seek out Anzu in his depression and ask her to turn him into a cheerleader!" Marik explained. Judging by Yami's horrified expression, his bullshit scenario worked.

" Oh my Ra no…I've got to go ask him right now!" Yami slid his chair back as he stood up and walked over to the other side of the cafeteria.

Yuugi was going up to throw away his trash when Yami caught up with him. He turned around to face his look-alike, "Oh, hey, Yami! Uhm, what's up?"

"Yuugi, would you like to go to Anzu's party with me after the game Friday?" Yami blurted out quickly.

"I thought we didn't like Anzu?" Yuugi asked, taken aback by the sudden question.

"Long story. So, would you?" Yami asked again and stuck his hands into his pockets, looking away. He didn't even consider the fact that Yuugi might say no.

"I'd love to! I'll have to ask my grandfather first, but I can't imagine that he'd say no," Yuugi said and beamed up at Yami.

"Excellent! I'll pick you up at the game, then," Yami winked cheerfully at him and walked back to Marik and Bakura.

A hushed quiet had fallen over the cafeteria. Yuugi blushed a little at all stares directed towards him. He walked back to his friends and sat down, looking around nervously. "Why are they all staring?"

Otogi was the one to respond. "What did Ahknemkhanen want, Yuugi?"

"He just asked if I wanted to go to a party after the football game with him," Yuugi replied with a shrug, "No big deal."

Otogi shook his head, "Poor naïve little Yuugi…Ahknemkhanen didn't invite you to a party. He asked you out. As in, like, on a date. Not to mention he asked you in front of the entire school," He added with a smirk.

"A date with Yami..? You sure?" Yuugi sounded unsure.

"Uh-huh. I'm assuming he's picking you up?" Otogi raised one eyebrow.

Yuugi nodded, "Yes…"

"Definitely a date." Otogi finished, smirking at Yuugi's expression.

"Bakura invited me to go to that party, too. Does that count as a date?" Ryou asked Otogi.

"I wouldn't doubt it."

"What is up with those dumb seniors today? Malik, next I suppose you're gonna tell us that Marik asked you out to this party thing?" Jou asked sarcastically.

"He told me he was going to come to my house, kidnap me, and take me with him to the party. Does that count as a date?" A confused Malik asked an amused Otogi. Jou just looked stunned.

* * *

"Today we'll be working on prime factors," the sharp voice of Professor Kaiba cut through the silence of the math classroom, "Turn to page seventeen."

The class simultaneously opened up their math textbooks. All, that is, except for Jounouchi Katsuya. He distractedly flipped his open, eyes fixed on Kaiba.

"Hey," the girl next to him whispered, "Can I borrow a pen?"

Jou nodded and passed her one, prying his gaze off Kaiba to look at the girl.

"Thanks, Katsuya!" she whispered and smiled at him, batting her eyelashes rapidly.

"Have you got something in your eye?" Jou asked in a hushed tone.

"N-no…" the girl's face flushed and she looked away.

Kaiba couldn't help grimacing as he watched the exchange between the two blond students. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to chuck his book at her when the girl's hand lingered on Jounouchi's when she was taking his pen. Shaking his head, he turned back to the lesson, only allowing himself a small smirk every time the girl who was obviously trying to impress Jounouchi got a question wrong. He made sure to call on her a lot.

When the bell rang, the entire class got up from their seats and left the room. Jou lingered behind, packing up his things slowly. He jumped when he felt arms circle around his waist. "I didn't like the way that girl was looking at you, Jounouchi."

Jou chuckled, "You know I can't help looking this good."

Kaiba's self-control broke as he spun Jou around and smashed their lips together in a rough kiss. Jou moaned into the kiss and opened his mouth temptingly before he abruptly snapped back into reality.

"I have Computer class next," he said breathlessly, looking up at Kaiba's disheveled appearance. He clearly wasn't happy Jou had pulled away.

"I'll write you a pass."

* * *

**A/N:**

The end for now.


	4. The First Game

**A/N:**

Chapter 4. Enjoy, readers!

**Disclaimer:**

Yu-Gi-Oh! Belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. A team of skilled archaeologists are still trying to find the hole where he buried his dignity after letting 4Kids Entertainment make what they think is good anime out of his brilliant idea.

* * *

**Friday Morning, Mutou Household, 7:00am**

"Good morning, grandpa!" Yuugi greeted as he walked into the kitchen with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Yuugi! I've got wonderful news! Your father is flying in for a visit!" Yuugi's grandfather exclaimed while rummaging around in their kitchen cupboard for a box of cereal.

"My f-father..?" Yuugi paled.

"Yup," Yuugi's grandfather continued, oblivious to Yuugi's reaction, "I wanted it to be a surprise so I didn't tell you until today, but he'll be here by the time you get home from school!"

Yuugi's father had abandoned Yuugi's mother with her newborn child fifteen years ago. He went back to his rich family's house without his wife because he "just wasn't ready to be a parent". Too bad he waited until after Yuugi was conceived and born to realize that. Yuugi had only ever seen pictures of his father, but he wasn't smiling in any one of them. They hadn't had contact with each other at all, but Yuugi's grandfather, ever the optimist, managed to find him and invite him to Domino City. Mr. Mutou was a firm believer in second chances.

"Oh…great. Well, I think I'll just head for school now. Get a head start, you know?" Yuugi said and bolted for the door, moisture already welling up in his eyes.

* * *

**School Courtyard, 7:10am**

"I can't believe it's already Friday!" Bakura exclaimed. The three of them were relaxing under the giant oak tree in the school's courtyard. Bakura stretched his arms up in the air and fell back onto the lush green grass. When his arms went up in the air his shirt rode up a little, exposing his stomach briefly. All the Bakura fangirls within a fifty foot radius shrieked with joy. Bakura either didn't notice or didn't care.

"I just wanna get Anzu's stupid party over with," Marik grumbled, "Gods, I can't believe we're actually going to that!" He was hanging upside down from a low tree branch by his knees. Several fangirls were inspired to write one-shots and one of them even had an idea for a multi-chapter.

"I dunno, Marik. The party will be good for our reputations…" Yami reasoned, leaning back against the trunk of the tree and looking up at Marik thoughtfully.

"You're kidding, right?" Bakura sat up and put the palm of his hand against Yami's forehead, "You don't feel warm. Newsflash! We don't need anything for our reputations. You could make out with the principal right now and everyone would still love you," he reasoned and flopped back down onto the grass.

"I know that," Yami responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I was just saying. Besides, all we have to do is stay away from Anzu and her cheerleaders and we'll be fine."

"Heh, and stick with our lights," Marik added, now doing pull-ups in the tree.

"Lights?" Yami asked with a bemused look on his face.

"Malik, Yuugi, and Ryou. Haven't you noticed they look a lot like more innocent versions of us?"

"You'd have to be blind not to notice, but I never really gave it much thought," Bakura mused as he watched the three "lights" pass by on their way into the building, "I'm so in love…"

"B-Bakura!" Yami sat up straight and looked at him, startled by his sudden confession, "You love Ryou?"

"Well, I think so. I want to spend every moment I have with him. When he's not around, I think about him. When he smiles at me I get this warm feeling that spreads all over me. He's just so…so…amazing. Isn't that what love is?" Bakura asked, staring absentmindedly at the clouds floating lazily by with his hands behind his head.

"You've got it bad, man," Marik said with a chuckle.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

**Second Period, Science Classroom, 8:20am**

"Alright, class! You may begin your experiments!" Pegasus said cheerfully.

Yuugi, Yami, and Jirou were standing around their lab table. There was a steel tray with a small pig carcass in it sitting in the middle of the table. Jirou was holding a large scalpel in one hand and had an excited look on his face. Yami was eyeing him warily and Yuugi looked ghostly pale.

"You ok, Yuugi?" Yami turned to face Yuugi with a concerned look on his face.

"Aah…n-no oh g-gods…" Yuugi wrapped his arms around his middle and bent his head. Jirou had just sliced the pig open behind Yami and stuck an organ on the end of his scalpel.

"Jirou, please!" Yami exclaimed and pulled Yuugi to his chest protectively. Yuugi hid his face in the front of Yami's jacket as the teen continued mutilating the specimen.

"What, man?" Jirou asked and turned to face the two of them.

"J-Jirou, please s-stop…" Yuugi pleaded, his voice barely audible. Yami turned his head and glared at him.

"Shit! You guys I'm so sorry!" Jirou apologized, trying to unskewer the organ.

"Language!" Mr. Pegasus reprimanded and walked over to their group, "Yuugi, are you alright?"

"May I take Yuugi outside to the courtyard for some fresh air? He isn't feeling well," Yami asked while still glaring at Jirou.

"Please do! Jirou here will finish the assignment seeing as how he seemed oh so eager a few seconds ago, and who am I to deny such an energetic youth such rapture and joy?!" Pegasus proclaimed and pranced off to check on the other students.

Yami put his hands on Yuugi's shoulders and steered him out of the classroom. He took hold of his hand and pulled him through the hallways. They walked out the doors and into the courtyard. Yami headed over to the oak and sat with his back against the big tree, pulling Yuugi down to sit on his lap (2). He wrapped his arms around the younger's torso and gently rocked back and forth. "What was that about?" he asked softly.

"Weak stomach…" Yuugi mumbled. His face was regaining some color, but he still looked like the walking dead. "C-Can't handle stuff like that…"

"You should have said something! I would have had you out of that dissection in seconds!" He tightened his hold on Yuugi.

"I'm sorry…" Yuugi lowered his eyes, "I didn't mean to cause trouble…"

Yami realized what he was doing and relaxed his grip, "No, I'm sorry. I'm mad at Jirou, not you. And what do you mean by trouble? Yuugi, you weren't causing trouble!"

"B-But you left class because of me…"

Yami laughed, "I'd skip class every day if I got to spend time with you!"

"R-Really? Why?" Yuugi turned around to face Yami, "Of all the people in this school to get close to, you choose me. Why? I'm nothing special…"

Yami brought a hand up and placed it on the side of Yuugi's face and used his thumb to wipe away the tears Yuugi had unknowingly been shedding. "You are special to me, Yuugi. To me you are the most beautiful and loving person I've ever met."

"I am?"

Yami nodded. Dropping his arm, he leaned his head back against the tree and they shifted their positions. Yami had brought his knees up and Yuugi was settled in between them. A frown made it's way back onto Yami's face. "What's Jirou's deal anyway?"

"He couldn't have meant to make me react like that. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for his actions," Yuugi reasoned, absently laying his head on Yami's knee.

"It's so like you to say that. Always trying to see the good in people and justify their actions," he chuckled, "I honestly thought this whole lab partner thing was going to work, though."

"I'm sure he didn't mean to. We'll talk to him later, ok?"

"Alright. If you're up to it, that is." Yami half-asked.

"I'm fine now." Yuugi reassured him.

"Do you want to go back?" He asked and cocked his head to the side.

"Nah."

* * *

**Second Period, Math Classroom, 8:35am**

"Derivatives are simple if you aren't a complete idiot. When you have an equation and you want to find the derivative, you take the exponent and you put in front of the variable you're trying to derive and then you decrease the exponent by one. X squared becomes 2x, x cubed becomes 3x squared. This is so you can find the slope of a curve at any given point. For example, the slope of the x squared function at x=3 is 6. That's the easy explanation." Kaiba lectured while writing a bunch of letters and numbers on the board. (3)

A note hit a dozing Bakura on the head. Blinking rapidly, he carefully unfolded it.

_Bored. -M_

Bakura almost laughed. How like Marik. He got straight A's in math, but never paid attention to anything Kaiba ever said. Scribbling a quick reply, he sent the paper sailing neatly back onto Marik's desk while Kaiba's back was still turned.

Marik picked up the paper and read it.

_Me, too. Figured out what you're wearing for Anzu's tonight? -B_

Marik smirked devilishly and wrote down a reply quickly while jotting something down in his notebook.

_Leather. Lots of it. -M_

Bakura had a bemused expression on his face as he replied.

_But don't you always wear that? -B_

* * *

**After School, Streets of Domino City, 2:40pm**

Yuugi walked at an easy pace down the sidewalk towards his house completely lost in thought. His father was going to be there waiting for him when he got home, and that gave Yuugi a good feeling. Maybe they could finally get along as a sort-of family. It would all work out fine and they'd all live happily ever after. Yuugi smiled to himself and kept walking. Life was pretty good right now. He had the greatest friends anyone could ask for, his father was coming back, and Yami Ahknemkhanen thought he was beautiful. 'Yami…' Yuugi mused dreamily.

Yuugi walked up to his front porch and through the door, the shop bell jingling cheerily on his way in, and passed through the back door of the shop into their tiny living room slash kitchen. Sitting on the plain brown couch next to Yuugi's grandpa was a man dressed in a black suit. He was tall and slim with jet black hair that had streaks of gray in it. When they heard Yuugi enter, both men turned their heads towards him.

"Ah, Yuugi! Just in time!" Yuugi's grandfather stood up and took hold of Yuugi's tiny hands, "Your father just arrived a short while ago."

"The traffic held me up," the other man said while standing up and walking over to Yuugi. Sugoroku backed up to give the father and son some space. "Hello, Yuugi. My name is Roku Mutou. I'm your father."

"Hi, Dad," Yuugi greeted cheerfully. Despite the man's appearance and tone, Yuugi was optimistic that he would be nice.

"You may call me father."

"Yes, father…"

How disheartening.

* * *

**Yuugi's Bedroom, Second Floor of the Turtle Game Shop, 3:00pm**

Yuugi was pacing softly in his room. He had managed to escape his family by claiming he had a lot of homework that needed to be finished. Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought about what his father had said. Roku had declared that he was buying a house in Domino City so he could keep an eye on his son and make sure he was being brought up correctly. Apparently, Yuugi's grandfather was being too lenient with him.

Yuugi's hand strayed towards the cell phone sitting on his nightstand while having an internal struggle over whether or not to call the number Yami had given him. "Call anytime…" Yuugi said to himself quietly, quoting Yami's exact words from earlier that day, "I'll always pick up if it's you." Yuugi looked down at the numbers written on the back of his hand. Finally deciding against it, he grabbed his cell phone and headed out of his room towards the bathroom. He had a party to get ready for.

* * *

**Domino City High School Football Stadium, 7:45pm**

"Oh my…Yuugi, is that you?!" Honda asked completely astonished.

"Uhm, yeah. Too much?" Yuugi asked.

Before the game, Yuugi had called up Ryuji for some fashion advice. Otogi had given him dark blue jeans and a black tank top to wear. He also had given him a black belt with silver studs and a dog collar to go along with it. Black eyeliner rimmed his amethyst orbs and silver bangles adorned his wrists. It wasn't exactly his regular style, but Yuugi found himself liking it more and more by the minute.

Otogi seemingly materialized out of nowhere at that exact moment. "Of course it isn't too much! You are a work of art, nay a masterpiece, Yuugi!" Otogi exclaimed.

Honda fixed him with a knowing look. "You let him pick your outfit, didn't you?"

"Yeah…" Yuugi admitted with a shrug, "I kinda like it."

"Did he show you his closet?"

"Yes and oh my gosh is it huge! Otogi told me it goes on and on and never ends."

"It doesn't. Trust me," Honda said with a shudder.

"I'm surprised you had my size, Ryuji," Yuugi said, turning to face him.

"Oh no, silly Yuugi! I bought that outfit for me. It's supposed to be much more form-fitting than that. It looks better on you anyway, though."

"T-That outfit Yuugi has on is yours?!" Honda zoned out for a moment and then suddenly rushed away to take care of his sudden nosebleed.

Otogi put his hand on his hip and cocked his head at Honda's retreating figure. "What's up with him?"

Yuugi stared disbelievingly at him. "You mean it honestly isn't obvious to you?"

"What is?" Otogi fixed him with a quizzical look.

"Never mind, Ryuji… Just never mind…"

* * *

**Domino City High School Football Stadium, 9:30pm**

"Touchdown Domino Dominators! That brings the score to twenty-eight to twenty-eight!" the announcer boomed over the loudspeaker.

Yuugi, Ryou, and Malik were standing by the track fence watching the game progress. "Marik's pretty good, Malik," Ryou stated.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure." Malik replied without taking his eyes off Marik. All the football players were in a huddle discussing the final play. Marik dropped his mouth guard and bent down to pick it up. "Daaamnn.."

"That's our Malik," Yuugi shook the blond bangs out of his face and turned his attention back to the game.

"Hey, Yuugi," someone greeted in a deep voice, walking up behind him, "Finally found you!"

Yuugi turned around, "Hey, Yami!"

Yami was wearing a fitted black muscle shirt with black leather pants and a black leather jacket. His feet were covered by a pair of black boots and he had a thin silver chain hanging from his neck. Two studded bracelets were on each of his wrists. "Wow, Yuugi! You look amazing!" he exclaimed.

"T-Thanks!" Yuugi blushed, "I let Otogi pick my outfit."

'Note to self,' Yami mentally noted, 'Thank this Otogi person. And buy him a new car.'

Suddenly, the crowd went wild. They turned their attention back to the game to see none other than Marik running for the end zone they were standing by with the ball in his hands. The band on the home side started blasting a victory song and the loudspeaker could barely be heard over the commotion. "Tokoshie wins the game for Domino High!!"

Malik jumped up and down like a crazy person. "Marik!!" he yelled.

Marik looked over at them. "Malik!!" He broke out of the huddle his teammates had him in and sprinted over to him. In one swift motion he pick Malik up and over the fence and kissed him harder than he ever had before. "We won…" he said breathlessly when they parted for air.

"Congratulations…" Malik said in between gasps for air.

* * *

**Domino City High School Football Stadium Parking Lot, 10:00pm**

Yami and Yuugi eventually managed to separate from the crowd and headed for the parking lot.

"So what kind of car do you drive?" Yuugi asked conversationally.

"Heh. All kinds, but I brought something a little different for tonight. Hope you like motorcycles," he said, walking over to a flame red motorcycle and pulling two helmets out of the cargo space under the seat, "Ever ridden before?"

Yuugi shook his head, not trusting himself to speak, and put on the black helmet Yami had given him.

Yami laughed as he put his on, "It's a little big. Hope you don't mind."

They both climbed on and Yuugi clung to Yami for all he was worth as the powerful engine roared to life.

* * *

**A/N:**

That's chapter 4 for you. Also, I'm just now realizing that they probably don't play American football in Japan. Oh leave me alone, would you?! I don't care if it doesn't make sense!


	5. The Party

**A/N:**

Chapter 5 comin' atcha!

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! And that is probably for the best…Trust me…

* * *

**Makazi Estate, Upper-Domino City Land Development, 10:15pm**

Yami pulled the motorcycle into an empty parking space on a dimly lit street crowded with expensive-looking cars. He slid smoothly off the seat and picked Yuugi up and off just as easily. They both took off their helmets and started up the long sidewalk towards the front door of the Makazi estate.

"Whoa…" Yuugi breathed as he looked around at all the identical white mansions and pristine lawns as he tried to keep up with Yami's stride.

"Hmm?" Yami hummed at Yuugi and looked down questioningly.

"This place is unbelievable! The houses are so big!"

"Hmph. It's ok. You wanna see a big house, you should come over to my place sometime. I live in the upscale part of the development."

"You're kidding me? I thought this was the upscale part!"

Yami laughed. "Good lord no! Anzu and her family, if you can call it that, live in the cheapest part of town."

Yuugi had an awestruck look on his face as he mouthed the word "cheapest". Yami opened up the door to the house and was hit with a wall of sound. They walked through the door and into the foyer. It had several large open doorways leading off to other rooms. To their right was the lounge where the giant sound system was set up and blaring. Straight in front of them was a large marble staircase, and on the left the doorway led into the large dining room. In every room of the house the lights were dimmed low and furniture was moved out of the way so there was more room to move around. People were crowding the entire place. Some were moving around, some clustered in groups, while others were laughing and dancing to the beats coming from the speakers.

Yuugi stood transfixed as his wide eyes took in the unfamiliar scene and his hand unconsciously grasping Yami's.

"Come on then, Yuugi. I promise it's not as scary as it looks," Yami said looking down at him, amusement written all over his face at Yuugi's timidity. **(1)**

Suddenly, a pink blur with brown hair shot towards them shrieking something that sounded vaguely like "Yami".

"And yet…" he mumbled as he was tackled by a hyper Anzu.

"Yami baby, you made it!! I knew you would!!" she screeched.

"Hi, Anzu," Yami mumbled in monotone.

A few guys in football jerseys standing nearby laughed. "Hey, Anzu!" one yelled, "Nice tackle! I think we've got a spot on the team for you!"

Anzu stood up and brushed off her pink baby doll top and miniskirt. "Haha, boys," she laughed, fixing the strap on her silver stilettos, "But I'm a cheerleader."

"Don't remind us…" one football player mumbled.

"What was that?" she asked in a menacing tone.

"Oh, uh, nothing!"

Yami stood up and brushed himself off. "Damn Anzu…hey, Yuugi?" he asked, looking around for his missing date.

---A few rooms away---

"Yuugi! Didn't think I'd see you here!" Jirou chuckled and downed half of the alcohol in his cup, "Who'd yah come with?"

Yuugi shifted uncomfortably where he stood with his back against the wall. "Yami invited me to come with him."

"No kiddin'? Huh, that's too bad. You'll have to find another ride home."

"Oh. Why's that?" Yuugi asked.

Jirou shook his plastic cup a little. "Let's just say he's got a thing for drinking."

Yuugi's eyes widened. "H-He does?"

"Yup. That guy can really hold his booze, though. Tell you what. Look for me when you wanna leave and I'll drive you home."

"T-Thanks, Jirou! If you don't mind, though, I'd like to go find Yami," Yuugi side-stepped Jirou and headed towards the kitchen. 'Yami? Drink? No way. He couldn't. He wouldn't. He shouldn't. He won't. Will he?' Yuugi's mind was a flurry of doubt as he walked away. Jirou watched him go with a sad sort of smile on his face.

He entered the kitchen and looked around shyly. Sitting on the kitchen counter was Malik with about ten guys surrounding him. "H-Hey, Malik!" Yuugi called to him.

"Yuugi! Hi!" Malik called back and jumped off the counter. He walked up to Yuugi. "How are you liking the party so far?"

"It's fine, I guess, but where's Marik? I expected him to be with you…" Yuugi looked behind Malik's shoulder, thinking he may have missed Marik somehow.

Malik's mouth curved into a frown. "Hn. I expect he's in the lounge or whatever flirting with some stupid blond or anorexic redhead or something…" he replied somewhat bitterly.

"Huh? But don't you guys..? I mean, aren't you..?" Yuugi stammered trying to find the right words.

Malik smiled briefly at his friend's indecision. "Don't we screw around? Sure. Are we together? Nope. Marik insists he "needs his space" and "doesn't want to commit"," he explained bitterly, using air quotes.

"Oh, Malik…" Yuugi touched his friend's forearm and gazed at him with sympathy.

Malik laughed a little. "Don't give me that look, Yuugi. I signed on for this when I fell for him, remember?" Malik scrunched his eyes shut for a second and looked as if he was trying to remember something. He opened them a split second later. "I saw Yami pass by into the lounge not long ago."

"T-Thanks! But how did you..?"

Malik chuckled. "It was written all over your face when you came in here."

"Alright, bye, Malik!" Yuugi waved at his friend as Malik went back to his seat on the counter and turned his attention back to his fan boys. When Yuugi stepped through the doorframe the first thing he saw was Yami sitting next to Marik, who had a blond boy on his lap that Yuugi had never seen before, drinking something down from a red plastic cup.

* * *

"Big mistake, kid. I don't like being lied to," growled out a tall boy wearing a loose basketball jersey, "Especially about my teammates."

Ryou took a step back despite himself. "I'm not lying," he insisted.

The taller boy cocked his head to the side, "I know Bakura, and I'm positive he wouldn't waste his time on you."

"Well, you're wrong," Ryou stated, hands balling into tight fists at his sides as he stared at the ground.

"Some nerve, kid. Too bad." Quicker than you could blink, the basketball player swung his fist and collided with the side of Ryou's face. The teen stumbled back from the force of the blow. He brought a hand up to his injured cheek and stared wide-eyed at the basketball player. "Don't look at me like that, because it won't work. You're nothing!" he yelled and sent another punch at Ryou that hit him square in the chest. Ryou cried out in pain and fell back onto the soft grass. The taller boy turned around, walking away with a murmur of "Bakura wouldn't waste time on you…".

Ryou lay back on the grass, clutching his chest and gasping desperately for breath.

---On the patio---

Bakura walked out of the house to get some fresh air, talking animatedly with a girl in a white tank top and orange mini-shorts that had "cheer" written across the back in glitter. Her blonde ponytail swished as she talked.

"Wow, Kyliee, you are SO funny!" Bakura exclaimed with heavy sarcasm and added an extremely loud fake laugh.

The girl didn't take the hint, however. "Wow! Y'know, I've been told that before! Maybe I should, like, become a comedian or something!" She took a sip of her drink, "I've always wanted to be, like, a veterinarian or something," she stared into her cup with a huge grin on her face, "I just love children, and stuff. Y'know?" she looked back up, but Bakura was nowhere in sight, "…Oh well!" she smiled stupidly to herself and walked back into the house.

Bakura peeked out from behind the rosebush he had dove behind at the first sign of escape. "Ha! Lost her!" he congratulated himself and stood up. Brushing himself off, he looked around quickly. "Good. No one saw me," he began walking out farther into the backyard until he looked ahead and saw a familiar white-haired look-alike of his. "Ryou!" Bakura dropped to his knees and propped Ryou up into a sitting position with his arm.

Ryou moaned weakly and looked up at Bakura, his eyes expressing his pain, "B-Bakura…"

"What the hell happened to you?!" Bakura's eyes narrowed, "Who did this, Ryou?"

Ryou opened his mouth to speak, but started coughing instead. Bakura sat there for a few seconds, feeling useless while Ryou's lithe body was wracked with coughs, as he tried to figure out what to do.

--- inside ---

Yuugi stood in front of Yami with his hands clasped behind his back. "Uhmm…Yami?"

Yami looked up at him and his expression lit up. "Yuugi! What's up?"

"Could we talk for a second?"

"Sure! Hey, Marik, I'll be right back," Yami said and stood up from the couch.

"Whatever..," Marik waved a hand dismissively at him and turned to the boy in his lap, "So, kid…"

Yuugi and Yami walked over to an empty corner of the room, "So, what's up?" Yami asked.

"Well, Jake told me that you…uhm…I mean…What's in the cup?" Yuugi stammered, afraid to ask him straight out.

"Beer. Why? Want some?" Yami asked and offered the cup to Yuugi.

Yuugi's expression was that of pure horror. "N-No!"

"Aw, come on, Yuugi, It won't hurt you," he pushed the cup towards Yuugi and waved it around in his line of sight.

"No means no, and you shouldn't be drinking that stuff either," Yuugi insisted and swiped the cup from Yami.

Yami chuckled at his date's antics. "What are you so afraid of? Loosen up! One little drink isn't going to kill you!" Yami stopped laughing at the grim expression on Yuugi's face.

"You say that now," he said, narrowing his eyes as tears welled up in them.

Yami stood rooted to the spot at the younger's tone. Yuugi quickly brushed past the unresponsive Yami and walked over to Marik. He looked at him with an unreadable expression, almost as if he was looking past the senior. "You should go talk to Malik," he deadpanned before walking calmly across the room and sprinting up the marble staircase as fast as his legs would carry him.

* * *

**Bakura's Car, 10:40pm**

Ryou's chest rose and fell evenly in time with his steady breathing. Bakura breathed a shaky sigh of relief. Mere moments after Ryou had started coughing, Bakura had scooped him up into his toned arms and ran like hell around the house towards his ride. After fumbling for his keys, balancing Ryou on one arm while looking for said keys, and cursing like a sailor, he managed to get both of them into the truck and turn the heat all the way up. Ryou was currently laying across the backseat and Bakura was positioned above him worrying his head off. He stared into Ryou's eyes intently. "You okay?"

Ryou nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He stared back up into Bakura's dark brown eyes with a light blush slowly spreading across his normally pale face.

Bakura noticed his reaction and jumped to the only conclusion he could think of. "Do you want me to turn the heater off?" he asked. 'It's not like he likes me like that or anything,' he mused glumly.

Ryou shook his head. 'It's not the heat,' he tried to convey telepathically.

"Feel like sticking around longer?" Bakura asked.

Ryou shook his head again.

"Great, me either! I'm gonna go let Yami and Marik know I'm going." He paused. "Stay here," he added as an afterthought.

Ryou chuckled mutely. Bakura got out of the truck and, standing on the ledge just beneath the door, pushed a button on his key fob to lock the doors. Ryou rolled his eyes and Bakura grinned at him. Jumping down from the ledge, Bakura disappeared down the street back towards the Makazi's mansion. **(2)**

Ryou stared unseeingly at the ceiling of Bakura's monster of a truck. It was pitch black and chrome with tires that must have been custom-made because they were easily six feet in diameter. The cab was enormous, too. It had enough space to comfortably fit five people. As Ryou's eyes slipped shut he let out a sigh and decided this was definitely different, but not exactly bad.

* * *

**Makazi Mansion, Living Room, 10:43pm**

Bakura walked into the lounge, passing an upset-looking Yuugi on his way over to Yami. "Hey. Me and Ryou are gonna split. He's not feeling good. Uhm, you ok, dude?"

"Yuugi…he..," Yami mumbled with a half-shocked, half-confused look on his face.

"You should do something about that. He looked pretty upset." Bakura smacked his friend's shoulder. "Good going."

He walked up to Marik, who was in the process of telling some blond boy that he wasn't interested anymore and asking where Malik was, and grabbed the cup out of his hand. He drained it all on one swallow. "Yo, I'm taking Ryou home, so don't look for me tonight when you're gonna leave."

"Hey-," Marik said, angry eyes fixed on what was once his drink, but decided he was more concerned about Malik and walked away. "Whatever."

Bakura walked back outside and headed for his truck, pulling on his jacket. It read "Domino Basketball" on the back. Hitting the unlock button on his key fob, he jumped up onto the ledge and climbed into the driver's seat. "I'm back," he said and looked behind him. To his surprise, Ryou was curled up on the backseat, fast asleep. "Great," Bakura sighed, "Where the hell does he live?"

* * *

**Makazi Mansion, Living Room, 10: 45pm**

Yami snapped out of his trance-like state and raced up the marble staircase, hoping to high heaven he wasn't too late. He had seen Jirou follow Yuugi up the stairs, looking less than in the right state of mind.

---A few moments ago---

Yuugi ran up the stairs with tears streaming down his pale face. He headed straight for the nearest empty room and shut himself inside. He paused for a moment with his back against the wall next to the door, listening for the sound of following footsteps. When he heard none, slipped to the carpeted floor and cried harder as the painful memories engulfed his subconscious.

**~~Flashback~~**

"_Grandma?" inquired a six-year old Yuugi Mutou from the backseat of a mini-van, "Are you ok?"_

"_F-Fine, Yuugi," the elderly woman slurred, gripping the wheel of the car harder and squinting her eyes, "Jus-s-st had a few too many…" she stopped talking and focused solely on the road. Her vision swam as she tried to stay on course._

_Yuugi and his grandmother had been at the Domino City Community Center all afternoon, visiting friends of Yuugi's grandmother, playing board games, and most importantly bingo. They would always go do this on Wednesday afternoons after Mrs. Mutou Sr. picked up Yuugi from daycare. That day was different, though. One of Mrs. Mutou Sr.'s friends showed up with a couple six packs of beer. Needless to say, that friend was kicked out, but not before Yuugi's grandmother had drank a few. She insisted she was fine to drive, and now the two were speeding down the road towards the game shop they lived in along with Yuugi's grandfather. _

_Yuugi peeked his head into the front seat, "You sure?"_

"_Yuugi honey, put your s-s-seatbelt on," she reminded him, eyes still fixed on the road._

_Yuugi had just buckled himself back into his car seat when another car came speeding at them head-on. Yuugi's head whipped up frantically when he head his grandmother yell and swerve off the road. Their car collided with the side of a building, and the car alarm blared. Yuugi began to cry. He was shaken a little and only had a few bruises, but otherwise he was unhurt. He unbuckled his seatbelt and poked his head back into the front seat. There was so much blood. His screams were barely drowned out by the still-blaring alarm._

**~~End Flashback (3)~~**

Yuugi realized he was being shaken, and as he whipped his head up, he found himself staring into Jirou's steely gray eyes.

"Yuugi, what's wrong?" he asked, voice filled with concern.

"N-Nothing…it's…," Yuugi trailed off and wiped his sleeve over his eyes.

"Don't you "nothing" me, Yuugi. It can't be nothing if you're sitting in a pitch black room crying," Jirou looked around, "Bedroom…Yuugi! Did Yami?!"

"N-No!" Yuugi yelled, "Nothing like that!"

"Then what did he do?" Jirou asked, putting his hands on Yuugi's shoulders and leaning in slightly. He reached up with one hand and turned the lock on the door.

Yuugi sniffled with his head down and tried to get his crying under control. "W-Why do people d-drink alcohol, Jirou? Don't they know h-how b-bad it is for them?"

Jirou chuckled. "It's not that bad. One little drink won't kill you," Jirou reasoned, "But if you still don't want to drink, I can suggest an, ah, alternative method to have fun."

Yuugi wiped his eyes on his sleeve again and looked questioningly back up at Jirou, "What's that?"

Jake's grin widened and he picked Yuugi up and flung him roughly onto the bed on the other side of the room. Yuugi yelped as he fell onto the bed with a soft thud. Jirou straddled Yuugi's hips and smirked down at him. He leaned in until their noses touched, "Fun yet?"

"Jirou! No, please stop!" Yuugi's eyes were wide with panic as he realized what was going on. His voice was bordering hysterical. **(4)**

"Jirou!" Yami yelled, breaking the locked door open with his foot, "Get off of my boyfriend right now!"

Jirou literally jumped off of the bed and backed into a corner of the room.

"Thank whatever religious deity you want that I have better things to worry about than you right now," Yami walked over to the bed and lifted Yuugi gently off of it. "If I were you, I'd sleep with one eye open for a while," he growled out and left the room. He carried Yuugi out of the house, past all the strange looks, and didn't look anywhere but forward until they had reached the curb. "Are you alright, Yuugi?" he asked, looking down at Yuugi with concern written all over his face.

"Physically yes," Yuugi responded, voice shaking.

"What's on your mind?" Yami asked, trying to distract himself from the rage burning inside him at what Jirou tried to do.

Yuugi could tell that if he told Yami what was really on his mind, it would only make the senior more prone to violence. "Well," he began, "You called me your boyfriend…"

"I did?!" Yami looked stunned.

"Yeah, kinda…If you didn't really mean it, I'll understand…" Yuugi mumbled.

"No, I meant it. I want you to be, anyway. I just hadn't planned on asking you like that," Yami said, putting emphasis on the last word. He stopped walking. They were in front of his parked motorcycle.

"Really?" Yuugi asked, speechless, "You do?"

"Yeah, but I'm going to officially ask you now," Yami stated, setting Yuugi on the seat. He got down on one knee. "Yuugi, will you go out with me?" he asked dramatically.

"Of course I will!" Yuugi laughed and covered his blushing face with his hands, "But don't do that, it's embarrassing!"

Yami only hummed in response and got back on his feet. He quickly leaned in and kissed Yuugi on the forehead before sliding in front Yuugi onto the seat of the motorcycle.

"That's all I get?" Yuugi pouted.

"I don't want your breath smelling like alcohol, too. Imagine what your grandfather would say." Yami laughed.

"Speaking of which, are you okay to drive?" he asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"Give me a break, Yuugi. I had two drinks, not twenty."

* * *

**Makazi Mansion, Kitchen, 11:00pm**

Marik strode purposefully into the kitchen and stood directly in front of the other blond boy. "Malik."

Malik looked up from the guys he was still talking to and looked questioningly up at Marik. "Yeah?"

Marik leaned in closer to Malik so that their noses almost touched. "I'm bored. Wanna screw?" he asked and motioned towards a door next to the refrigerator.

"In the closet?" Malik asked skeptically.

"Well, I was actually thinking bathroom, but whatever. Closet is good, too."

* * *

**A/N:**

Well, there you go! Yami and Yuugi finally got together (took them long enough, eh?), Bakura's truck is pimp, and Malik and Marik get to be the little sluts they are. Hope you enjoyed!

**Footnotes:**

**1: **Timidity is a word. Timidness is not. Go figure.

**2: **I could not resist. Bakura is such a nut, I just HAD to give him an awesome car. By the way, six feet is taller than me. And probably most of you. Enjoy!

**3: **I always wondered that if Yuugi has a grandpa, then where's his grandma? So yeah. I feel bad for poor Yuugi, but it had to be done. I originally put that they went to a senior center, but who ever heard of drinking at a senior center? This way makes a tiny bit more sense. I hope.

**4: **I am not referring to the "overcome with laughter" definition of hysterical, by the way. It's more of an "uncontrollable emotion caused by shock" kind of thing.


	6. The Conflicts

**A/N:**

Sixth installment time! Wow. I am still amazed at all the love I get for this story! You are all so great!

**Disclaimer: **

Alright, alright. Ahem. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. However, I did wish for it for Christmas. Anyone think I got it? Yeah, those who said no are right.

* * *

**Turtle Game Shop, Night**

The engine hummed quietly as they came to a full stop and Yami cut the power. He stepped onto the sidewalk first and pulled Yuugi off of the bike after him before circling his arms around the other's waist in a tight embrace.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Yami asked.

"Alright," Yuugi replied tiredly, yawning quietly.

"And we can have dirty sex in your kitchen?"

"Sure," he agreed, though he wasn't too sure what he was agreeing to. Yuugi was too tired to fully process Yami's words.

Yami laughed. "Just go get some sleep."

They broke apart and Yuugi headed sluggishly up the sidewalk towards his house, surprised to find the door unlocked. Waving at Yami before heading in and closing the door behind him, Yuugi walked into the kitchen to find his grandfather sitting at the table reading over the sales for the shop. Sugoroku looked up when his grandson entered. "Welcome back, Yuugi! Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah," Yuugi replied, "It was really fun... I'm gonna go to bed, though, ok?"

"Sure, sure. Goodnight, Yuugi," Sugoroku called softly to his grandson.

Yuugi ascended the stairs and walked slowly down the hallway towards his room. Once inside, he breathed in the familiar scent with a weary sigh. He slipped off his jacket and kicked off his shoes before heading into the bathroom adjacent to his room for a quick shower. He quickly pulled off the rest of his clothes and turned to start the water, doing a double take in the mirror. On both of his arms, right next to his shoulders, were two ugly bruises from where Jirou had picked him up. Yuugi winced as he lightly touched one with his fingertip. "Just what I need…," he murmured.

* * *

**Necrophades Estate, Bakura's Room, Morning**

Ryou shifted as he sun glared down onto his closed eyes. He moaned sleepily and rubbed his eyes, propping himself up on one elbow. Looking around tiredly, it took him a few seconds to remember where he was. He was laying on an arctic white couch with inky black pillows surrounding him and a matching black blanket thrown over him. The room he was in was a spacious one with white walls and hardwood flooring painted black. Pictures covered most of the space on the walls. Some were photographs, while others were paintings and drawings. There was an unmade king sized bed in the middle of the room with wrought iron framing and a black comforter that was halfway off of the bed. A giant bookshelf full of colorful volumes sat next to a mahogany desk in the corner of the room, and in another corner was what looked like a home gym set. Ryou saw pure white snowflakes falling beyond the single window in the room.

"So this is Bakura's room…," he mused aloud and scanned the room with curious eyes.

The door on the other side of the room opened soundlessly and Bakura walked in quietly. He was dripping wet and had a forest green towel slung around his hips. Shaking his head and dragging a hand over his eyes, he looked up and noticed Ryou was awake. "Oh, hey," Bakura said, "Sleep alright, Ryou?"

"Yes, thanks," Ryou replied, eyes still fixed on Bakura.

Bakura laughed, "Like what you see?"

Ryou blushed, but appeared to be thinking hard. "That was a trick question, wasn't it?"

The senior crossed the room and sat down next to the still half asleep teen. "Do you want me nearly as much as I want you right now?" he asked seductively leaning in slightly.

"B-Bakura!!" Ryou exclaimed, pulling the covers up so that only his eyes were showing. Bakura caught the heavy blush on his face, though.

"Relax, kid. I'm only joking," he leaned in farther so their noses almost touched, "Or am I?"

"Don't mess with me, Bakura," Ryou gave him his best glare. It didn't have the desired effect, however. His eyes betrayed his hurt.

"I'll try," Bakura said with a laugh, not noticing, "But you're just so cute!" He straightened up and walked over to his closet door. "Be right back, love!"

Ryou pouted as he tried unsuccessfully to control his blush. "What's gotten into him?"

* * *

**Turtle Game Shop, Morning**

Roku stomped heavily up the stairs and threw open Yuugi's door. Yuugi, who had been laying on his stomach reading a magazine, jumped and looked up to face his father. "Can I help you with something?"

"Where were you last night, young man?" the father asked menacingly.

"Uhm… A party?"

"Without my permission!"

"But Grandpa said I could!" Yuugi protested.

"Your grandfather has no power over you anymore. I do. I came to Domino City so that I could take the responsibility over you that is rightfully mine, and that means I need to approve all of your activities!" he ranted angrily.

Yuugi bristled at Roku's statement. "Oh, so you're only now trying to be responsible? Funny, I thought you were supposed to be taking care of me from day one! What happened to that, huh? Tell me, Dad," he raged with heavy sarcasm, "Is a responsible man the kind who abandons his family?!"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!!" Roku nearly screamed.

"I'll talk to you however damn way I want to! You're no father of mine!"

Roku's face was completely red with fury, "You are not to leave this room! You hear me?! You are grounded from this moment on! Don't even think of leaving this room for anything!" With that final dictation, Roku stormed out of the room.

Tears of anger were falling rapidly from Yuugi's eyes as he resisted the urge to scream as loud as he could. He picked up one of his borrowed black boots from the floor and hurled it at the door before falling backwards onto the soft sheets on his bed.

'How am I supposed to hang out with Yami later if I'm stuck in this house?' Yuugi asked himself. He blinked and sat up, realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. Reaching for his phone, he hit the first button on his speed dial and put the phone up to his ear. "Hey, Yami, it's Yuugi… Change of plans. I'll explain later. Be at my house in fifteen minutes?… Okay great!… Bye!"

* * *

**Necrophades Estate, Bakura's Room, Morning**

Bakura, now dressed in a plain white t-shirt and a pair of crimson sweatpants, sat next to Ryou on his couch with his legs crossed Indian style, "Now where were we?" he asked huskily.

Ryou breathed in deeply, trying to keep his voice calm. "Bakura, please. If you're going to toy with my emotions…"

"Oh, your emotions? So you do like me, then?" Bakura grinned and rubbed his cheek against Ryou's.

Ryou locked eyes with Bakura. His voice wavered as he spoke, "I do."

Bakura just looked stunned at Ryou's sudden seriousness.

Taking a deep breath, Ryou continued while searching Bakura's face for any reaction, "I like you a lot, Bakura, and I know I shouldn't. If you want me to leave, I will. You don't have to drive me home, either. I'll-" he was cut off before he could finish by two of Bakura's fingers being pressed to his lips.

"Shhhhhh, Ryou. You think I'd be upset with you? Heh, that's ironic," Bakura leaned in and pressed his forehead to Ryou's, "I'm the obsessed one."

"Obsessed?" Ryou asked, breathing a sigh of relief and letting his eyelids slip shut. He was afraid Bakura would have hit him for confessing.

Bakura did the same. "You're just so beautiful. How could I not be?" he leaned in and ghosted his lips over Ryou's.

Ryou snapped his eyes open and pulled back, brought harshly to reality. "N-No…I can't…"

"Can't what?" he looked confused.

"I c-can't do this, Bakura. It's not right…"

"What's not right?" Bakura's voice was laced with urgency.

"Us. This. Everything. Two males can't love each other. It's forbidden. It's not right. I was taught better than this," Ryou moaned, "Why me?"

Bakura gripped Ryou's shoulders and frowned. "Don't say that. Don't ever say something isn't right just because someone tells you it isn't, especially stuff like this. They can't possibly know what is and isn't right for you, Ryou. You're the only one who does."

"That does make a lot of sense, but I just don't know," Ryou's eyes brimmed with tears.

"Does it feel right?" he questioned, kissing his nose lightly.

He thought for a few seconds before replying quietly, "Yes. How can something that feels so right be so wrong? I don't know anymore."

Bakura nodded to himself and paused a moment. "I won't rush you. Take all the time you need, alright?"

"Bakura…," Ryou began but then paused, thinking about his words carefully.

"Yeah?"

Ryou wrapped his arms around the elder's waist and put his head on his chest, "Thanks for understanding."

Bakura smiled and returned the gesture, wondering what had come over him. It wasn't like him to get sentimental.

The moment was broken by the ringing of a cell phone. Ryou groaned and lifted his head up to meet the eyes of a chuckling Bakura. He flipped open the phone. "Hey, Ryou speaking…Oh, hi Mom," he stuck his tongue out and Bakura stifled his laughter with his hand, "…Yeah, I'm really sorry for not calling you. Our study group ran late and we all fell asleep… I'll be home soon, don't worry… Yes, mom, I'm fine…W-What?! No! Mom, sheesh!…Bye…I love you, too," Ryou snapped his phone shut and sighed, "I am so in for it now."

"Study group?" Bakura asked with an amused smirk on his face.

"As previously stated. Extremely Christian family. It was the only excuse I could think of for them to let me out so late at night."

"We can have a study session right now if you want," Bakura suggested seductively.

Ryou mock-punched him in the arm, "Shut up, you."

* * *

**Makazi Estate, Spare Bedroom, Morning**

Marik lazily cracked one eye open. He was laying on an unmade bed in the middle of a brightly lit room. One lone window was letting a powerful stream of light right onto him. He brought a hand over his eyes to shield them from the ray and yawned sleepily.

Malik shifted in his sleep, alerting Marik to his presence. The petite blond was curled up on Marik's bare chest, platinum hair catching the light at just the right angle. A soft smile crept onto Marik's face as he wrapped his arms around the sleeping boy.

After a few moments, he became painfully aware of a throbbing headache. Carefully, so as not to wake Malik, his lifted his lover gently off of his chest and grudgingly squirmed out from underneath the warm covers. Ignoring the sudden chill, he pulled on his carelessly discarded outfit and ran a hand through his messy hair. After making sure Malik was tucked back in, he walked over to the door, and with one last apologetic glance at him, quietly slipped out into the hall.

* * *

**Necrophades Estate, Grounds, Morning**

The two boys made their way through the giant house to the front entrance. After slipping on his jacket, Bakura helped Ryou into his jacket and grabbed his keys. He slipped on his pair of black combat boots and handed Ryou his sneakers. Carelessly throwing the door open, Bakura headed down the iced over stairs towards the circular driveway. Hitting the unlock button on the key fob, he opened up the door for Ryou only to notice he wasn't following him anymore. Ryou was gripping the railing by the stairs with both hands for dear life and looked like he would slip and fall on the ice at any second.

Laughing, Bakura walked back and offered Ryou his arm for support which he gratefully accepted. Together they walked back down to Bakura's truck amidst the gently falling snow.

* * *

**Bakura Residence, Afternoon**

Mr. and Mrs. Bakura couldn't believe what they were seeing as they stared wide-eyed out of their living room window. A monster of a truck had just pulled up by the curb in front of their house, and a young man that was strikingly similar to their son jumped out of the front seat. The young man walked around to the passenger side of the vehicle and lifted their son out of the cab next! They both walked to the Bakura family's mailbox and the older boy suddenly pulled a marker out from his jacket pocket. He scribbled something down on their son's hand and kissed him quickly on the forehead. Waving in farewell, he headed back to his truck and drove off.

Ryou had a serene smile on his face as he walked calmly up their sidewalk and pushed the door open. He let out a sift sigh, glad to be out of the cold, and looked up to see his enraged parents. Blanching, he swallowed loudly. "I can explain…"

"You darn well can explain, Ryou Bakura," his father fumed, "You can explain why you never called us to tell us you were spending the night at your friend's house, why you lied to us, why you were with that person just now, why he wrote his telephone numbers on your hand, and why he kissed you! Oh, Ryou, you do have quite a bit of explaining to do."

Ryou turned on his heel and stormed up the stairs with his parents not far behind him. They came to a door labeled "Ryou's Room" and Ryou pushed it open. He breathed in the familiar scent of his room before shedding his scarf and jacket. Flinging himself down on his small bed, he folded his legs Indian-style and looked up at his parents, his expression egging them on.

His father was the first to speak up, "Who exactly was that boy?"

"Bakura Necrophades, Domino High School senior, captain of the basketball team, and the son of the owners of Necrophades Enterprises," Ryou replied, as if reciting a paragraph from the school's student records.

"Don't get smart with me, young man."

"You asked, Father. Next question?"

"I've got one," Ryou's mother said, "Why would you lie about where you were? Sweetie, we need to know where you are in case of emergencies."

"I lied because I figured you wouldn't let me go out otherwise."

"What exactly is this Bakura Necrophades to you, son?" Mr. Bakura asked fearfully, dreading the answer.

"He…," Ryou hesitated.

"Well?" Mr. Bakura asked impatiently.

"He's my boyfriend…maybe."

His mother gasped, "Ryou!"

His father shook his head sadly. "We raised you better than this, Ryou. God created men and women to be partners, not men and men to be. Yet here you are, defying His divine plan. You think you know better than Him?"

"I know how I feel."

Ryou's father, ever the peacemaker, thought for a second. "We can compromise, then," answered Mr. Bakura after he had finished thinking, "Your mother and I have friends whose children went through this special program in a situation just like yours. When they graduated from the program, they were upstanding, heterosexual, Christian citizens," he explained, "You don't need to compromise your religion to be happy. Feelings can change, Ryou."

"Dad," Ryou began angrily, more reassuring himself than telling his parents, "I do not want to be a "reformed citizen". Nor do I want to "compromise my religion". Bakura told me that only I know what is right for me."

"And you believe him?" his father asked, now looking amused.

"Yeah," Ryou confirmed, voice laced with suspicion, "So?"

"Tell me, Ryou. This Bakura Necrophades, what does he know about Christianity? Hm? I'm betting not much. So who is he to advise you on these matters?" he raised his eyebrows, urging Ryou to retort.

"He's my boyfriend and I value his opinions."

"Stop calling him your boyfriend, Ryou."

"That won't change the fact that he is, Dad."

Ryou's mother suddenly spoke up. Her eyes filled with tears, "Ryou sweetie, you can't be serious about this? Is he really worth this much to you?"

"Please don't cry, Mom," Ryou said, voice heavy with guilt, "But I am serious about this, and I am serious about him. Please don't cry," he said again as she began to cry even harder.

"How can I not?" her voice wavered, "My baby, my only child, has strayed from the path God has set for us all."

"I think you both are overreacting. I think I might be overreacting when I say this, too, but this feels like love. Can't you both understand? You both know what it's like to be in love, don't you?" he asked, looking hopefully up at them.

"Ryou, you're only fifteen. You don't know what love is yet," his father reasoned.

"Well I know I sure haven't felt like this for any girl I've ever met."

Mr. and Mrs. Bakura looked at each other for a few agonizing seconds, divided between what they believed would be best for their son, and what would make him happiest. They both nodded at each other in silent agreement before leaving the room. Ryou choked back a sob and buried his face in his pillow.

* * *

**Turtle Game Shop, Evening **

The familiar sound of an engine being turned off was heard in the streets below, and Yuugi sat up in his bed. Putting the bowl of soup Sugoroku had brought for him on the desk, he walked over to his window and pushed it up. Leaning his head out, he smiled when he saw Yami looking back up at him. Yuugi pulled his head back into his room and opened up his closet door. Searching the floor, he finally found the rope ladder that Sugoroku had given to him. It was supposed to serve as a makeshift fire escape in case on an emergency, but now it was coming in handy for another reason. Yuugi headed back to the window and threw it down. After bolting the two top ends to the metal spikes on either side of the window, he nodded to Yami to start climbing up.

Yuugi sat anxiously on his bed staring intently at the window. Sooner than he'd thought, Yami appeared at the window and smiled. "Lovely night for a climb," he said and crawled through the window, "Good evening."

"That was fast," Yuugi remarked.

"What can I say? Bakura taught me how to break into people's houses. I could have gotten up here without the ladder," he shrugged nonchalantly and laughed at the alarmed look on Yuugi's face, "I've never actually broken into anywhere before… technically."

Yami sat down on the bed next to Yuugi and they talked for hours. Around ten at night Yami announced he had to leave, and they both stood up and walked over to the window.

"Hm, not exactly walking you to the front porch after a date, but I'll take it," Yami mused and pushed Yuugi up against the wall, "Hmm, Yuugi?"

"I'm good with this," Yuugi agreed and brought Yami's head down to crash their mouth's together. Yami threaded his fingers through Yuugi's hair and pried his mouth open with his tongue. However, Yuugi put both of his hands on Yami's shoulders and shoved him away.

"What?" Yami asked, afraid he might have gone too far.

"Didn't you have to leave? Because if you keep doing that I don't think I'll be able to let you go."

* * *

**A/N:**

This chapter was way too short. I'm so sorry, everyone! Don't forget to leave a review on your way out and pick up a complimentary cookie!


	7. The Changes

**A/N:**

Chapter 7 comin' atcha!

First order of business. Most of this chapter is centered around Ryou. Ryou fans rejoice! And I'm very sorry for a character you find out later. Her name's Ez, and that's all I can say for now. You'll understand why I'm apologizing when you read it. I tried to avoid it, but there was no other way!

As always, keep checking my profile for the latest news!

**Disclaimer:**

Pretty sure nobody on owns Yu-Gi-Oh!... Least of all me.

* * *

**Bakura Household, Sunday, Morning**

The shrill ringing of an alarm clock sounded in the dimly-lit room, causing a lump in the bed sheets to stir. Ryou peeked out from under his comforter and checked the annoyingly loud clock on his nightstand. It read seven o'clock. "Time to get up," he told himself tiredly and rubbed at his eyes. Before he could change his mind, he flung the covers off of the bed and smacked his hand down on his alarm clock's snooze button. Yawning quietly, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Ryou stretched out his arms as he walked over to his closet and pulled out his outfit. A pair of tan khakis and a short-sleeved white button up dress shirt.

A knock on his door took his attention away from his reflection in the mirror. His father's voice came from out in the hallway. "Son, hurry up and get dressed. Your mother and I have big news to tell you."

"Alright, Dad," Ryou said and rushed to finish getting ready. After neatly putting on a blue tie, he slipped on his black shoes and headed down the stairs to the kitchen.

His father and mother were both sitting at their kitchen table when he walked in. When Ryou's mother saw him, she motioned for him to sit in the empty chair across from her.

"Now, Ryou," his father began once Ryou was sitting, "You may not like this at first, but bear with me. Yesterday, we enrolled you in a program called Status Quo. It's an organization that helps youths with their problems." Ryou rolled his eyes at the word "problems", but remained silent while his father continued talking. "They have regular meetings in a building not too far from here. The days are Tuesdays and Fridays after school and Sundays in the morning," he finished proudly.

"You expect me to be happy about going to counseling, don't you?" Ryou asked suspiciously.

"It doesn't matter whether or not you're happy about it. You're still going."

"Great…"

Ten minutes later found Ryou, carrying his dark green messenger bag and changed into light wash jeans and a slim gray hoodie, being driven to his first counseling session by his father. "I'll only be driving you there this first day, okay?" he asked.

"Fine, Dad," Ryou replied while staring absently out the window.

Glancing nervously at his son, Ryou's father continued to babble, "We're only worried about you, Ryou. Your mother and I only want what's best for you."

"Sure, Dad."

"Please don't think badly of us for this. Just try not to worry too much about it, alright? Sooner than you know, you'll be back to normal."

"Don't count on it, Dad."

The rest of the way was spent in an uncomfortable silence. Uncomfortable for Mr. Bakura, that is. Ryou remained uncaring and distant. When they arrived at their destination, he stepped out of the car and slammed the door behind him. As his father drove away, he remained rooted to the spot. The building they had arrived at was too…normal. It was made of bricks and painted white with a sign above the door that had "Status Quo" written on it in bold black letters. Swallowing nervously, Ryou pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was well-lit by fluorescent fixtures on the ceiling and had white linoleum floors with matching white wall panels. Bright orange couches were positioned around glass-topped tables in every corner of the room. There were large tree-like plants that Ryou couldn't put a name to set up by the front doors and along the walls. A large reception desk stood in front of the opposite wall in between two large doors. A lady with uncommon silver hair pulled into a neat bun was typing on a computer at the desk. Her cool gray eyes were trained on the screen. She looked like she was concentrating too hard on her work.

Ryou gripped the worn shoulder strap of his messenger bag and approached the desk, "Uhm, excuse me, Ma'am."

The lady looked up. "Yes?" she asked with a kind smile.

"I'm here for the, uhm, counseling sessions? My name is Ryou Bakura," he told her hesitantly.

"Hmm, let me see here," she said in a chipper tone and her eyes scanned over the screen intently, "I could have sworn I just saw…ah! Here we go!"

Ryou laughed to himself at the receptionist's antics.

"Here you are, Ryou! Right here," she pointed to his name on her computer screen proudly, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Maxine, and I'm the counselor!" she said with a smile.

"Counselor? I thought you were the receptionist?" he asked bemusedly, thoroughly confused now.

Maxine giggled. "I'm doing even better than I thought, then. We're understaffed at the moment, so I'm filling in this position, too! You can just go into the room on your right, Ryou. I have to wait for all the others, okay?"

"Okay, then," he said and did as he was bidden.

Upon entering the room, the first thing he noticed was how different it was from the lobby. Instead of the cold linoleum tiles, soft carpet covered the floor. It's dark purple color complimented the large yellow bean bag chairs that sat in a circle in the middle of the room. Several gray filing cabinets with magnets covering then stood off to one side of the room, and the tall plants he saw in the main room were in this one as well. The walls had a dark wooden paneling on them. One large coffee table that was low to the ground was placed in the middle of the bean bag circle.

Ryou sat down in a bean bag chair and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his text messages, rereading his conversation with Bakura last night.

"Watcha' starin' at, kid?"

Ryou gave a startled squeak and jerked his head up violently. Standing behind him was an impossibly thin girl around his age. She had stringy blonde hair and had visible bags under her murky gray eyes. Her hot pink sweatpants and white tank top only emphasized how unhealthy she looked.

"I asked you a question, Snowflake," she said with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"Oh! Uhm, sorry. I'm just looking through my text messages," he replied sheepishly, "Sorry for staring."

"Fascinating," she said boredly and dropped herself into the bean bag chair next to him.

He went back to reading through the messages. Last night, he had texted Bakura all the details of what happened after he left. Bakura had kept on apologizing, even though Ryou insisted it wasn't his fault. The only part that Bakura was happy to hear was that Ryou wanted to be his boyfriend.

"Who's that?" she asked from right behind him, looking down over his shoulder.

"Ahh!" Ryou jumped again, "Stop doing that!"

"Who's that?" she repeated.

"Better question," Ryou looked at her with annoyance, "Who are you?"

"Ez," she stated.

"That's a name?"

"Short for Ezmarelda," she explained.

"Oh, I see. Well, my name's Ryou," he told her.

Her eyes lit up a little with realization at his name, but didn't betray it in her voice, "I care?" Ez asked and flopped back down on her bean bag chair, "So, will you answer my question or not, Ryou?"

"If you must know, his name's Bakura," Ryou said somewhat proudly.

Ez raised her eyebrows, "The Necrophades kid?"

"That's the one."

"And you know him how?"

"Why should I tell you?" Ryou asked.

"Because I asked."

"No!"

The door opened again, and another girl walked in. She was fairly overweight with mousy brown hair. Her baggy clothes did nothing to hide her size. Looking around nervously, she chose a bean bag chair as far away from Ryou and Ezmarelda as possible.

Ryou snapped his phone shut so Ez wouldn't be tempted to read his messages again. Instead, he looked over at the new girl, "Hi," he said kindly, "My name's Ryou. Who are you?"

"…Miko," she mumbled shyly, not meeting his curious gaze.

"That's a nice name," he said and smiled at her.

"No it's not," Ez said, giving Miko a skeptical look before turning back to face Ryou, "It's a boring name."

"Shut up, Ez," Ryou snapped, shooting her a glare, "Nobody asked you. So, Miko, what are you here for?"

Miko turned her head to the side and mumbled something.

"God, Ryou, you're dense. She's obviously a binge eater!" Ez said, glared at him.

"Ez! Don't say things you don't know! You're so…so…," Ryou struggled for words.

"So what, kid?" she egged him on with a smirk.

"Insufferable!"

At that moment, a third girl walked into the room. She wore a long black dress and her long black hair was twisted into a braid. Her eyes remained shut. Everyone in the room only looked on in silence as she spoke, "This room is filled with many negative energies," she stated and shivered.

They all just continued to stare at the mysterious newcomer as she easily maneuvered to sit in the other bean bag chair next to Ryou, never once opening her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she opened her mouth again, "What are you all staring at?"

"How can you see with your eyes shut like that?" Ez asked rudely.

"I can see many things," she told her and opened her eyes to reveal sparkling blue irises, "However, I will keep my eyes open if it is your wish."

"Hello, everyone!" Maxine called as she slammed the door shut behind her, "It's so good to see you all! I would like to personally welcome you all to the first day of counseling here at Status Quo!"

"Uh, Miss Maxine?"

"Yes, Ryou?"

"You don't have to shout. We're right here."

"Ah, of course. Forgive me, everyone. Well then, let's just jump right into our introduction activity, shall we? Yes, yes we shall! The rules are simple, I promise. You'll all catch on quickly. I'll start us off, okay?" she sat down in the remaining bean bag chair and continued, "My name is Maxine Pegasus, and I'm thirty-two years young," she giggled before continuing, "My interests are socializing and looking fabulous. I have one older brother who teaches a science course at Domino High School. I'm here because it's my job. Alright, who's next? Miko!" she said happily, pointing at Miko.

"Okay. Uhm, my name is Miko, and I'm a Sophomore at Domino High. I'm sixteen, and I like collecting dolls and, uhm, eating snacks. I have a little sister named Mitsuki, and she's in the first grade. I think that's it," she finished shyly.

"You forgot to tell us why you're here, sweetie," Maxine pointed out.

"Oh. Uhm, I'm here because I, uhm, eat too much," May mumbled.

"Good. Okay, pick someone!"

May scanned the room quickly before pointing at the girl in the black dress.

"Very well. My name is Yurichi, and I am seventeen years of age. I am currently in my Junior year at Domino High School. My interests are arcane rituals, clairvoyance, and, as some may call it, cross-dressing. I have but one sibling; a female named Ritsu. I am here because my interests are too bizarre for my parents' tastes," he said.

The other three teens went wide-eyed.

"Excellent job, Yurichi! Alright, pick someone!"

"Ezmarelda."

"How did you know my name?" Ez asked.

"As previously mentioned, I know many things," Yurichi told her.

A quick shiver ran down Ez's spine. She quickly composed herself and began, "My name's Ezmarelda Necrophades," she paused to smirk at the shocked look on Ryou's face before continuing, "I'm fourteen years old, I'm in the eighth grade at Domino Middle School, and I like video games. My stupid older brother is the reason I'm here. I make myself throw up one time, and he goes on hyper panic mode," she grumbled, "Floor's yours, Ryou."

Ryou took a deep breath, "My name's Ryou Bakura. I'm fifteen, and I'm a Freshman at Domino High School. Some of my interests are being with my friends, going to church, and playing my flute. I'm an only child, and I'm here because…," he stopped.

"Because?" Maxine asked.

"Because I don't like girls," he finished quietly.

"Very good, everyone! That wasn't really that hard, was it? Alright, now that we know a little bit more about each other, I'm sure we can be like one big family!" Maxine told them. She then walked over to one of the filing cabinets and pulled out a stack on spiral-bound notebooks. Sitting back down, she handed one to everyone, "These will be your journals for your next assignment," she explained, "Aren't the colors cute? Boys get light blue, and girls get light pink! I want you to write in them whenever you feel like you need someone to listen to you. You can use it for whatever you want after that. Draw on it, make all the pages into paper snowflakes, or put it under one of the legs on your coffee table to balance it out, I don't really care. As long as you make an attempt to write in it, okay?" Everyone nodded. "Good!" She glanced over at the clock. "My! Look at the time! It's time for us to leave already. See you all next time!"

They all made their way into the lobby. Ryou sighed and made a beeline for the door.

"Hey, Ryou!" Ez called after him.

Ryou spun around, trying to keep his temper in check, "Yes?"

"Will you tell me now?" she asked impatiently.

"Tell you what?" he inquired with false innocence.

"Don't play dumb, kid! Tell me how you know my brother!"

"He's in my gym class," Ryou replied with a shrug.

"There's more to it than that, and you know it, too." Her eyebrows furrowed. "My brother has had maybe two friends his entire life. There has to be something special about you," she finished with a frown.

"Hey, Ezma! Get over here!" called a familiar voice.

"Speaking of which…," she whispered as Bakura walked up to the two of them.

"Ryou!" Bakura called out in surprise.

"Hi, Bakura!" Ryou greeted.

"Hey," Ez mumbled with a slight hint of contempt in her voice.

"Ezma, you weren't scaring him, were you?" Bakura asked with a glare at her.

"Shut up, bastard. Nobody asked you. I'll be in the car," she swiped the keys from his hand and stomped out of the building.

Bakura watched her leave before turning back to Ryou, "Honestly, I don't know where she gets it."

"She definitely acts like she could be your sister. I never knew you even had a sibling," Ryou said, "She looks nothing like you."

"Ezma's adopted," he said simply, "So, what did you do to piss her off like that?"

"Nothing! Honestly! She just asked me how I knew you, and when I told her, she got all weird."

"Ah, I guess you didn't tell her we're going out then?"

"No. Why?"

Bakura laughed maniacally. "Must be eating her alive. I only ever hang out with Yami and Marik, and now I'm suddenly paying a lot of attention to you," he explained, "I hope it's driving her crazy trying to figure it out!"

Bakura's phone started to go off, and he flipped it open. Ez's voice came out of the speaker so loud that even Ryou heard her with no trouble.

"What's taking you so damn long?!" she yelled.

"Calm down, Ez. Gods, I'm coming," he snapped his phone shut, "Guess that's my cue to leave."

"Yeah, sounds like it," he said with a laugh, "Bye then."

"Ah, ah, ah! You're forgetting something," he wagged his finger at Ryou and grabbed him by the wrists. Quickly hooking one of his arm's around the smaller's waist and threading his free hand through his hair, Bakura attacked the other's mouth vigorously. Ryou, taken completely unaware, froze at the contact.

Bakura snickered and pulled away. "We'll work on that later," he said and left to join his sister.

* * *

**Monday Morning, Hallways of Domino High School**

Malik pushed open the door and made his way through the busy hallway towards his locker. Yawning widely, he rubbed his eye groggily. 'Making school start this early in the morning is a damn crime,' he though moodily. Quickly dialing the combination and stuffing his heavy winter coat inside, Malik checked his hair in his mirror and grabbed the few books he needed. He slammed it closed and spun around, nearly crashing right into Marik. All of his books fell to the floor and he glared angrily at the taller boy, "Thanks, Marik," he grumbled, "Look what you made me do." He bent down to retrieve the fallen books. Marik leaned a little, "No problem," he said cheerfully, enjoying the view. Malik stood up quickly and sent another glare Marik's way, "That's not funny." "I never said it was supposed to be funny," the taller boy said and suddenly made up his mind about something. Quickly, he hooked his index fingers through Malik's belt loops and spun him around, crashing their mouths together forcefully. Acting on habit, Malik threw his arms around Marik's neck and opened his mouth invitingly. Something that sounded suspiciously like a laugh came from Marik's throat, and he remembered the point he was supposed to be making. With a growl, he shoved hard on Marik's shoulders, successfully breaking their contact. Malik fumed when he saw Marik's mouth curve up in a triumphant smirk. "Listen carefully, Marik, because I'm only saying this once. I've had it up to here with your games," he made a chopping motion with his arm above his head, and Marik's face fell. Not literally. "I'm sick and tired of being nothing but a toy to you. From now on it's all or nothing between us, got it?"

"All or nothing..?" Marik trailed off with a confused look. A soft sigh escaped Malik's lips and he crossed his arms over his chest. "It's a good thing you went out for the football team instead of the Honor Society... I'll spell it out for you. Unless you give up all of your other girlfriends and boyfriends, there's nothing between us and never will be again. Got it? Good." And with that, Malik pushed passed a stunned Marik and headed off to class.

* * *

**Men's Bathroom, Morning**

Marik knelt on the cold tiled floor in the stall and watched helplessly as everything he ate for breakfast came back up. One hand was threaded through his hair, keeping it out of his face, and the other was pushing down on the floor to steady himself. When he was sure the nausea had passed, he drew in a shaky breath and stood up on wobbly legs. After flushing the contents of the bowl down the pipes, he shoved open the stall door and leaned on one of the sinks. Marik stared into the mirror, eyes wandering over his disheveled appearance.

At that moment, Yami walked into the bathroom. At the sight of Marik, his eyebrows furrowed. "Where were you? Homeroom is over now, and you didn't even meet up with us this morning."

Marik turned to face him, and Yami gasped. "Marik, you look like hell!"

"Malik doesn't want anything to do with me anymore, Pharaoh…He hates me. He completely hates me…"

Yami grabbed him by the shoulders. "Get a grip, Keeper, and tell me exactly what happened."

* * *

**7th**** Period, Math Classroom, Afternoon**

"Don't forget to do problem set ten for tomorrow," Kaiba said as he wrote it up on the whiteboard, "Class is dismissed."

Almost instantly, everyone began chattering amongst themselves. Jounouchi merely flipped a page in the thick novel he was reading with a blank look on his face.

"Katsuya!" the girl next to him called to get his attention, "Hey, Katsuya?"

He lowered his book and met her curious gaze, "Yeah?"

"What's that you're reading?" she asked, trying to catch a glimpse of the cover.

"Just some book someone gave me," he replied with a grin, "It's not half bad."

"Oh, really? What's it about?"

"Something about two cities. Heh, I'm not really that far."

"Ah," she batted her eyelashes at him.

The bell rang, and everyone left the classroom except for Jounouchi, who approached Kaiba's desk. "Hey, Kaiba?"

"Yes, Katsuya?" Kaiba replied without turning away from the work he was writing down on the board.

"I sort of lied about the book. I haven't got the slightest idea what that author guy is talking about," he confessed with a sheepish grin, "Why'd you give me a hard book like that, anyway?"

"I thought it might be beneficial for you to get some culture," he replied, "Don't you like reading?"

"I don't see the point. Just a bunch of stuff I don't care about," Jou shrugged indifferently and plucked the marker out of Kaiba's hand, "Pay attention to people when they're talking to you!"

Kaiba spun around and whispered seductively into Jounouchi's ear, "I was listening, Katsuya, and I do believe there are many things you should care about that you learn in books. Care for a demonstration?" he asked and pinned the blond to his desk by his hips.

"What the hell do you read, Kaiba?," Jou's breathing became heavier and his tounge darted out to wet his lips, "But if you wouldn't mind, Teacher."

Smirking menacingly, Kaiba shoved Jou's shoulders down to the tabletop. "You should know that I didn't exactly get this one from a book, but I hope it will still be quite the learning experience for you," he said huskily and rolled his hips against the other's.

Unable to stand the torment much longer, Jou hooked his arms around Kaiba's neck and crashed their mouths together. Kaiba grunted in protest and pulled away, "I'm the teacher, Katsuya," he informed the younger breathlessly. "This is my lesson. Be a good student and pay attention," he commanded and claimed Jou's lips again.

Jounouchi moaned lightly and parted his lips, allowing Kaiba better access to his mouth. Happily complying, Kaiba slipped a hand under Jou's uniform shirt.

Heated skin brushed, teeth clashed, sweat and saliva mingled, and they weren't going to stop.

Then the phone rang.

Both men groaned angrily and separated.

"Dammit, Seto, ignore the phone!" Jounouchi yelled as Kaiba composed himself and picked up the reciever.

"Hello, room 245... Ah yes, Miss Valentine. What can I do for you?… Why, yes. Jounouchi is right here with me. We were going over something on the homework. I'll send him right down," he promised and hung up.

Jou took a paniched look at the clock and jumped down from on top of Kaiba's desk, "Oh, shit."

"Well, that about sums it up," Kaiba said with a murderous look in his eyes, "Why the hell did she have to call right then?!"

"Seto, don't worry about it. I promise I'll do my homework," he said with a sly grin, "I believe you told Valentine we were only going over it just now, right?"

Catching on, Kaiba smirked, "Ah yes, and I expect you to do the whole assignment."

* * *

**A/N:**

Heheheh… sounds like a fun assignment. I beg your forgiveness, puppyshippers! I know this hardly makes up for my neglect.


	8. The Plot Thickens

**AN:**

A very good point has been brought to my attention by an anonymous reviewer recently that I would like to share with you all.

"And exactly what is wrong with being gay and cross-dressing? Frankly I don't see the problem...Seems to me that Ryou and Josh shouldn't be in therapy...Josh's interests aren't that strange, I've seen worse interests…"

Setting aside the fact that I've changed Josh's name to Yurichi, Nameless Reviewer brings up an excellent point. Seniors, Freshmen, and a Learning Experience covers a wide variety of controversial topics, and I don't express my views through the characters. That is to say, what the characters believe may not necessarily be what you or I believe. Thank you for your comments!

**Disclaimer: **

Despite the overwhelming evidence that Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi and not me, you still ask anyway? Go away! I'm not buying anything you're selling! Unless it's Yu-Gi-Oh!…

* * *

**Gymnasium, First Period, Tuesday, Morning**

Ryou walked into the gymnasium clutching his books to his chest. Bakura walked next to him with his typical unfriendly scowl on his face.

Their hands were linked between them, fingers entwined together tightly.

They headed to the bleachers and Bakura automatically dropped his books. The noise echoed across the large room with a resounding bang. Ryou took a seat next to Bakura's carelessly discarded books and kept his in his lap.

"You coming?" Bakura asked, motioning towards the locker rooms.

"Not today, sorry. I forgot to bring my gym clothes," Ryou smiled apologetically up at the older boy.

"Whatever," Bakura replied nonchalantly and leaned in to place a light kiss on his forehead.

"Necrophades and Bakura, you're late!" the teacher chided as he strode towards them wearing a disapproving frown.

"So?" Bakura asked with a cocky grin and headed into the locker room.

"I'm sorry, Coach. We got a little caught up in the hallways," Ryou explained with an innocent look. Oh, they were caught up, all right. Caught up in each other. Ryou's head was still spinning.

"That's okay, Ryou," the coach said understandingly, "Aren't you going to get changed?"

"Ah, I would, but I don't think I should today. I'm feeling a little under the weather," he told him truthfully as the other students eagerly charged out of the locker rooms.

"Hey, don't worry about it, then," the coach replied easily and turned to the other students. "Line up, people!" he bellowed at them, blowing his whistle loudly. Everyone hastened to comply and formed one long line on the court. "Today, we're going to be playing football. Marik, hurry up in there!"

"I'm coming already! This place is fucking disorganized!" Marik walked out of the equipment closet dragging a mesh bag full of footballs. He was dressed in his gym attire and wearing a scowl.

"Language," the coach mumbled halfheartedly under his breath before raising his voice to address everyone else, "Marik has generously offered to teach you all how to play football."

"Lazy bastard," Marik mumbled under his breath.

The coach went on as if he hadn't heard Marik, "I expect you all to treat him as if he were me."

Bakura raised his hand with a devilish look on his face, "Does that mean we can ignore him and treat him like dirt?"

"Shut up, Necrophades," the coach sighed, "Marik, they're all yours."

"Aw hell no! I'm not taking orders from that pansy!" Bakura objected loudly.

Marik growled low in his throat and launched himself at Bakura, tackling him to the gymnasium floor. The white haired senior's head cracked off the floor and he blinked dazedly. His blond friend straddled his hips with a triumphant smirk. The gym teacher shouted a protest, but neither of them paid him any mind. Bakura grabbed Marik's shoulder and swung his fist at his face. It collided with his jaw, making the other Senior fall backwards from the impact. The two grappled on the gym floor, throwing punches and displaying an unnatural amount of flexibility.

"Stop it!!" the gym teacher finally yelled as loud as he could. His voice echoed off the walls and the high ceilings. Both boys stopped their efforts, and Marik wordlessly stood up. He offered a hand to Bakura and pulled him up quickly. "That's better. What the hell has gotten into you two?"

"Marik," Bakura said in an uncharacteristically caring voice, "Your lip is bleeding."

Marik brought his hand up to his face and touched his split lip. Bringing his hand to eye level, he gazed at it blankly. "I see that."

"Let me get that for you," he said. Without another word, he placed his hands lightly on Marik's hips and ran his tongue along the blond's bottom lip.

Marik closed his eyes and parted his lips, "Aah, Bakura," he said and moaned low in his throat.

"Will you two quit it?" the gym teacher asked exasperatedly, covering his ears. The fangirls had just hit maximum volume.

They immediately separated and gazed proudly at their handiwork. Seven students had passed out from severe nosebleeds, three were still conscious and about to pass out, and the rest were shrieking with joy and jumping up and down. The coach was shaking his head and paging the janitor.

"Ah, our favorite pastime," Bakura began.

"Seeing how many fangirls we can knock unconscious!" Marik finished for him, "A record time today, I think."

Chuckling, Bakura looked back to the bleachers, wanting to see Ryou's reaction. What he wasn't expecting was for Ryou to be completely unconscious himself. "Ryou?" he ran over to the bleachers, quickly followed by Marik.

"I didn't think he'd be the type who goes for that stuff," Marik mused.

Bakura put the back of his hand on the small boy's forehead. Frowning, he turned to Marik, "He's burning up, idiot." Being careful not to jostle him too much, Bakura picked him up gently. "I'll take him to the nurse's office."

"What should I do?" Marik asked, "Now that everybody's unconscious…wait…"

"Don't even think about it, man whore," Bakura answered sharply, having been around the bronze-skinned teen far too long to not miss his blatantly obvious innuendos.

"Damn…"

Bakura headed over to the gymnasium doors and forcefully kicked them open with his foot.

* * *

**Domino High School Nurse's Office, First Period, Morning**

Bakura slouched down in the plastic chair he was sitting on. His eyes were fixed firmly on the clock and he blinked in time with the incessant ticking sound it was making. The nurse had been with Ryou for fifteen minutes now, and neither of them had come back out from the back room. "What the hell is taking so damn long?" he growled quietly.

"Mr. Necrophades?" the nurse asked in a surprised tone as she emerged from the back room, "You're still here?"

"Yeah, so?" he replied impatiently, "Is Ryou alright?"

She breathed a sigh of relief, "He's fine. It's just a slight fever this time."

When Bakura only gave her a blank look, she continued.

"Ryou has health problems, Mr. Necrophades, so I see him here quite often. The poor dear," she finished and glanced back at the door, "Would you like to go talk to him?"

Without sparing her so much as another glance, Bakura brushed past her and strode quickly towards the back room. The nurse just shrugged and headed into her office, shutting the door behind her quietly.

The inside of the room was shockingly white. The walls were off-white, and the floor was covered with hard white linoleum. There was a single bed pushed off to the far corner with crisp white sheets. Huddled under the covers was the small form of Ryou. He was curled up in a ball on the middle of the mattress.

"Ryou?" Bakura asked, moving to stand at the foot of the bed.

Ryou stirred from under the covers and poked his head out, blinking to clear his bleary eyesight.

"Were you asleep?" he asked worriedly.

"No," Ryou lied, "Why are you still here?" he asked, though not unkindly.

"Can't a guy be worried about his boyfriend?" Bakura asked with mock hurt and dropped down onto the bed, "So why'd you come to school if you knew you were sick?"

"If I did that, then I'd be missing more school than I should," he replied with a grimace.

The nurse came back in then. "Here, Ryou. Take these, and I'll be back in ten minutes," she said kindly and handed him two pills and a glass of water.

"Thanks," Ryou replied as she left the two alone again. He popped both pills into his mouth and quickly washed them down.

"What were those? Vitamins?" Bakura asked with a horrified look.

Ryou laughed. "Hardly. Those are special pills to bring down fevers. I figured you of all people would know what they are. Didn't your family sort of invent them?"

"Yeah." He shuddered. "My mom. I'm like her guinea pig or something."

"Do tell," Ryou asked with a crooked smile, "You have piqued my interest."

"I'm going to pretend that I know what you just said. Anyway," he began, "My mom's been experimenting on these new vitamins to make you more alert or whatever. They are the absolute worst-tasting shit I've ever had shoved down my throat everyday." Ryou laughed as Bakura continued his rant, oblivious of his rising volume, "I don't fucking need to be more alert, damn it! I don't fucking need her to force feed me health nut products down my throat everyday, but does she fucking listen?! No!"

"Language, Mr. Necrophades!" the nurse chastised angrily, poking her head into the doorway, "Don't upset my patient!"

"Are you upset?" Bakura asked skeptically. He knew the freshman was used to his usual tirades of foul language by now.

Ryou shrugged and laid flat on his back, the pills already beginning to work, "I'll get used to it, because I have a feeling you won't be going away anytime soon."

"Aww, that's so sweet of you!" Bakura replied with a grin.

"I can't imagine those pills are as bad as you say," Ryou said, shaking his head, "Nothing can taste that horrible, can it?"

"Yes. Yes they can. In the words of one of her patients, it's the fucking worst-tasting shit he's ever had the misfortune to have slithered down his throat. That batshit crazy bitch doesn't know what the hell she's doing, making us poor bastards eat that shit."

"That's it! Out with you, Mr. Necrophades!" the nurse charged into the room and grabbed Bakura by the ear, fuming as she dragged him out of the room, "You need to learn some manners! Such foul language, why I never!"

Ryou laughed and followed them out, feeling much better already.

* * *

**Second Period, Science Classroom, Morning**

Yami walked down the hallway to Mr. Pegasus' Science classroom with Yuugi at his side. His arm was draped casually over the little one's shoulders, and he carried both of their books under one arm. As they made their way down the hallway, everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the couple. Shocked whispers rang through the building as rumors quickly circulated, most of them true. It was official. Yami Ahknemkhanen was going out with Yuugi Mutou. Not that many people even knew who Yuugi Mutou was to begin with.

Yuugi fidgeted nervously. "Yami, they're all staring at us."

"Let them. You're mine, and I want everyone to know it," Yami said pridefully with a smug smirk.

"Yours?" Yuugi asked shyly, looking up at him.

Yami held the door to the Science classroom open for his light. "Mine and mine alone."

They headed over to the lab table, but Yami stopped halfway and grabbed onto Yuugi's forearm when he saw who was already sitting there. Yuugi gave him a questioning look.

"Hey, guys," Jirou stood up and took a step toward him. Yuugi took a half step behind Yami, and Yami's lip curled in a ferocious snarl. "Yeah, I probably deserve that. Could I just explain myself?"

"Hell no you can't!" Yami barked out harshly.

Yuugi placed his hand lightly on his boyfriend's shoulder, immediately calming the senior. "Let's just hear him out, alright?"

"Yuugi…" Yami said softly, but obediently backed down.

"Thanks," Jirou said gratefully, "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior on Friday. I had a little too much to drink, and I got a little carried away."

"A little," Yami repeated angrily.

"Okay, a lot. A whole lot. True, the fact that I wasn't completely in control of my actions doesn't excuse anything I did, but if I was in my right mind I swear I would never even think of doing something like that. I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness, but I'm hoping you won't completely hate me for what I've done," he finished, looking forlorn.

"I could never hate anyone, least of all you," Yuugi said warmly, "You weren't in your right mind. I get that, and while I'm not saying that I totally forgive you for Friday, I can't really hold it against you if you were drunk, right?"

"Yuugi!" Yami exclaimed, shocked.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Yami," Yuugi asked, gazing up at him with his wide eyes radiating innocence, "Right?"

Yami's rage crumbled. "Everyone," he repeated with a curt nod.

The bell rang and Mr. Pegasus shut the classroom door, telling them elatedly about the fantastical things they were going to learn that day.

* * *

**Fifth Period, Cafeteria, Afternoon**

Malik, Ryou, and Yuugi walked leisurely towards the cafeteria, wrapped up in conversation. Yuugi and Malik walked on either side of Ryou just in case he would collapse again. The trio of Freshmen hadn't had a lot of time to speak together lately, and they had much to catch up on.

"I can't believe your parents would send you to therapy with a bunch of crazy nut jobs and anorexic chicks," Malik said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh, it's not that bad, Malik," Ryou reassured him, "Everyone's really friendly."

"I still can't believe you stood up to Marik like that!" Yuugi exclaimed, "I'm so proud of you!"

"Well, I'm not. It doesn't matter how good I am or how sexy I am," he informed his friends dejectedly, not even cracking so much as a smile at his own narcissistic comment, "Marik won't come back for me."

Ryou gave his friend a quick one-armed hug, "He will, you'll see."

"Malik," Yuugi told his friend in a determined tone, "Marik would have to be blind, heartless, and the world's biggest idiot to turn his back on you for good."

The blond smiled at his friends. "Where the hell would I be without you guys?"

"Hey, Yuugi?" a high-pitched voice called from behind him, "Got a sec?"

Yuugi turned around in surprise as Anzu Makazi came sauntering up to the three of them, eyes firmly fixed on Yuugi.

"Uhm," Yuugi turned to his friends, asking a silent question. When they nodded, he turned back to her, "Alright."

Ryou and Malik headed on towards the cafeteria. Malik looked back and gave Anzu a warning glare before grabbing onto Ryou's elbow as his friend teetered on the spot.

"So, Miss Makazi, what can I do for you?" Yuugi asked politely.

She laughed melodically, "Such a gentleman! You can just call me Anzu, Yuugi. I just wanted to have a little chitchat with you. That's all."

"Okay then, Anzu," Yuugi said, testing out her name on his vocal chords.

"So, I saw you came to my party on Friday," she began conversationally, "Did you have fun?"

Yuugi blinked in surprise, "Oh! Uhm, I mean, yes. I'd never been to that kind of party before, so it was all pretty different for me."

Anzu looked pleased. "I also saw Yami come in with you back then, and just now today in the hallway second period you two looked pretty cozy."

A light pink blush rose to his cheeks. "Y-Yeah, I guess so."

"Moving rather fast, isn't he?" she asked in a concerned manner, "I hope he hasn't tried anything without your consent like with poor Jirou."

"With Jirou?" Yuugi asked in surprise, "What about Jirou?"

"Oh! Didn't you know? Yami and Jirou were dating just last year."

* * *

**Thursday, Tokoshie Mansion, Upper-Domino City Land Development, Afternoon**

Yami pulled over by the curb at an enormous mansion. Switching off his sleek black sports car, the Senior stepped out onto the pavement and breathed in the clean air. He pulled his sunglasses off of his face and put them in his coat pocket before slamming the door to his car shut and hurrying up the path to the doorway. Ringing the doorbell three times in a row followed by two knocks, he listened for the telltale sounds of someone coming to the door.

No one answered.

"Fuck, Marik," he cursed angrily and fumbled for his keys, jamming a yellow one into the lock on his friend's door. It clicked open.

Yami entered the house, careful to hang his coat on the rack and remove his shoes so as to not anger the housemaids. His black socks made no noise on the pristinely polished marble floors as he crossed the foyer and into the expansive living room. Flicking on the lights, Yami winced inwardly at the sight he was greeted with. Marik was laying on the couch dressed only in a pair of black sweatpants, staring blankly at the plasma screen television across the room. His normally gravity-defying hair was completely flat and tangled into knots. Black rings around his eyes were the result of a poor make-up removal job.

Crossing the room, Yami smacked the off button on the television set and moved to stand in front of his distraught friend. "What the hell, Marik?"

"Go the fuck away, Yami," Marik groaned with a hand over his eyes, but he made no move to kick the other male out.

Yami grasped his friend's wrist and swiftly pulled him off of the couch. "You didn't show up at school today, idiot. How long have you been lying there?"

Marik stumbled a bit as he tried to regain his balance. "Since three this morning, I think."

Without further comment, Yami dragged Marik by his hand out of the living room, across the foyer, and into the spacious kitchen. While Yami bustled about making a bowl of cereal for his friend, Marik dropped himself limply into a stool at a granite counter. "I can't do this, Pharaoh."

"Can't do what?" Yami asked loudly from inside the kitchen's enormous pantry.

"I can't live like this. First my parents and now Malik. Everyone I care about is gone from my life," his head dropped to the countertop.

"Don't Bakura and I count?"

"I don't care about you two in that way. We tried before, remember?" Marik replied with a moan.

"Oh, so you care about Malik in that way?" the spiky haired senior asked curiously, crossing the room to the refrigerator, "Now we're getting somewhere. You lumped him together with your parents. Does that mean you love him?"

"Love…" Marik repeated, "Somehow, I don't think it's that simple."

"Love isn't simple, but elaborate for me," Yami demanded rather than asking, setting a bowl of cereal in front of the blond and climbing up into a stool, "And while you're at it, eat something."

Marik picked up the spoon and stared at it for a good ten seconds before putting it back down. "I don't know, man. I've never felt this fucked up over one kid before," he lamented, "I didn't want to get attached, but Malik made it so damn hard."

Yami sighed. "Marik, what is it about Malik, or rather losing him, that makes you like this?" he asked, trying to extract conclusive information out of him.

"It's everything, Pharaoh," he admitted glumly, rubbing at his eye tiredly, "Whenever I even think about fucking someone, I think about how horrible and used it would make that brat feel. I'm either insane or in seriously deep shit."

Yami nodded at him, "Go on."

"It's a long explanation."

"I have time."

Marik locked his eyes on the spoon, finding it easier to talk to the utensil than to Yami. "Before I met Malik this summer in Cairo, I thought I knew myself. I was Marik Tokoshie. A football player, a Senior, a millionaire, and a user. Malik was…he was just…" Marik stopped to think a moment, "Actually, I don't really knew all that much about him. I just sort of knew he was different. From the others, I mean. He was beautiful, smart, and damn good at what he did, but somehow I always felt like I was missing something important."

Yami nodded in thoughtful silence as Marik continued.

"When summer was over, I got this terrible feeling when I knew we would probably never see each other again. Like I wasn't really in one piece anymore. Malik was more than some slut I screwed around with. You have no idea how happy I was when I saw him at the pep rally that first day back," Marik poked the cereal with his spoon, "I'm not making much sense, am I?

"It seems plain to me," Yami stated.

"Really?!" Marik shot up in his seat, gaze fixed intently on Yami.

"You," he said, pointing at Marik with his index finger, "Are most definitely in love."

**

* * *

**

**A/N: **

Okay, it was a little shorter than the other chapters, but it had to be done! Trust me. You'll thank me later. Probably. Big shoutout to all the lovely people who helped make this happen. Also, I'm sorry for the slow update. I CONVEINENTLY started failing a major subject RIGHT when this was almost done…


	9. The Dates

**A/N:**

Hey, readers! Alright, I got tired of using all of those characters in my author's notes that no one really knows about, so it's just me now! Your lovable author known by many as Venus and some as Moro. Enjoy your chapter 9, loves!

Credit to Twi-knight4life and WhiteAsukaLover for pointing out some recurring spelling errors. Major credit to Miss Lady Rin for helping out, too!

**Disclaimer:**

I've been through enough of these that you should know by now. I really honestly mean it when I say I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Have a nice day.

* * *

**Music Classroom, 6th**** Period, Afternoon**

"You're joking, right?" Ryou asked in disbelief, flute almost slipping out of his limp grasp.

"I wish I was," Yuugi replied, plucking each string on his cello to make sure they were in tune, "Malik, play me an A?"

Malik continued to stare at Yuugi in shock as his hand quickly found the correct note for his friend. "Why wouldn't Yami mention that after what happened between you two?"

"Ah, flat," Yuugi muttered absently and turned a tuning peg on the pristinely polished instrument, "I have no clue. Maybe I'll ask him about it later."

"Or," the blond began, shuffling his music sheets and picking one out, "You could ask Jirou."

Both boys gave him puzzled looks. "Why?" Yuugi asked, baffled.

"Because Jirou would be more likely to tell you the whole truth and not just parts of the story. There might be things in there that Yami doesn't want you to know," he explained with a smirk, "Duh."

Ryou blinked a few times in obvious surprise. "That is probably the smartest thing I've ever heard you say that didn't have anything to do with fashion," he remarked.

"Why thank you, Ryou. I pride myself on being diverse."

There was a loud knock at the classroom door. Someone went over and opened it up, taking a half-step back when they saw who it was. Marik brushed past him as if the boy wasn't even there and strode purposefully to the teacher's desk. "May I borrow Malik for a moment?" he asked in the most polite tone he could manage.

"As long as he's back soon," the teacher replied slowly, stunned by the senior's unusually good manners.

Wordlessly, Malik stood up from the piano bench and followed his ex out of the room. Yuugi and Ryou exchanged uneasy glances.

Once outside the room, Marik turned to face the other blond, determination shining in his violet eyes. "Hear me out, alright?"

Malik met his gaze skeptically. "Listening."

"I fucked up majorly. I never knew how much you meant to me before you left," he confessed.

"Is that so?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest with an indignant frown.

"Give me one more chance, Malik," he pleaded with a hint of desperation in his voice, "I need you more than you know."

"Uh, right. Need me because I'm the best fuck, right?" the teen asked cynically.

Marik gripped Malik's hand and stared deep into his violet eyes, searching for a reaction, "I need you because I love you."

"I'm sure," Malik tugged his hand away forcefully, "Words are nothing unless backed up with actions, Marik," He said coldly, ready to turn and walk right back into the music room. Marik deserved to be left empty and in the cold. Have the tables be turned for once.

"Malik, please hear me out," He begged, "I love you. There's no way I could put it in simpler terms than that!"

"You think you need to dumb it down for me?" Malik asked, fighting to keep his voice at normal volume, "You really do take me for a dumb blond whore, don't you?"

"I didn't say that! You don't understand. I-"

"No, Marik," Malik interjected, "You don't understand. You deserve to be dumped off and left for whoever finds you. You deserve to have your emotions ripped out of your heart. You deserve it for what you did to me. I'm sick and tired of it!" The small boy shook with anger. Tears welled up in his violet eyes. "You deserve every last ounce. All you're feeling now? Yeah, that's been my pain for months."

"I never knew, Malik." Now the larger boy was shaking. "Just…," he trailed off, placing a warm hand on his love's cheek, only to have it slapped away.

"Get out of here, you slut! Don't you have somewhere to be? Don't you have someone else to fuck and then leave for whoever finds them next?" The blond was shocked and horrified at the things that were spilling out of his mouth. They were the harsh words that others had said to him before when he was content to just be another one of Marik's accessories.

Marik's eyes widened. "Oh, Ra. Malik, I never meant to…"

"Shut up!" he yelled, wrapping his arms around his waist as lone tear leaked out of his eye, "You sound so damn sincere. I can't understand why you would torture me like this."

"How can I prove to you that this is no fucking joke?!" He clenched his fists and cringed at his anger. It was so hard for him to keep calm when he could be losing one of the only people he cared about. "I'll grovel for you. I'll beg. I'll plead. I'll do anything. Just come back to me." His voice almost cracked a bit, "Malik. I need you, just _need _you, like I've never needed anything or anyone before." A single tear ran unchecked down his cheek. He couldn't hold back the wall of emotion he felt for Malik. Instead, he hung his head and let his bangs hide his eyes in shadow. He wouldn't hold back, but he would keep anyone else from seeing him cry. He was Marik Tokoshie for Ra's sake. He didn't cry.

Malik held his breath for a moment. The guilt washed over him like the waves crashing on a beach. How could he do this? He wasn't this cold. It was against his better judgment and his nature. The freshman also could not ignore the feeling coming from deep within his heart. The feeling that this would be alright. He knew Marik needed him, and he knew he needed Marik. Those few days they had been apart felt more like an eternity. The teen released a shaky breath. "Marik, I can't believe how stupid you are sometimes." Marik looked up at Malik, alarmed. "But," he continued with a small smile, "I do love you, too."

"I'm sorry…" Marik said simply, touching his forehead to Malik's and breathing in his favorite scent. Lilac shampoo and mint toothpaste. In such a short amount of time, though it seemed impossibly long to the tall teen, he had grown to miss his little Egyptian more than he could possibly bear.

"No, Marik, I'm sorry. There are better ways to handle this," Malik whispered quietly against his lover's soft lips, "Never let something like this happen again, Marik. Promise me." He stared at Marik pleadingly. "Don't let me go again. I can't take this…"

"I swear to Ra that I will never ever let you go," Marik promised solemnly, sealing his vow with a light kiss. It lasted for barely two seconds, but that meeting of lips held volumes of love and other emotions that their other kisses had never held before.

**

* * *

**

**High School Auditorium, After School, Afternoon**

The conductor rapped his baton sharply off of the music stand in front of him. "No, no, no! You have to pronounce each syllable clearly! I can't understand half of your lines, and neither will the audience! Do it over again. Malik, measure one forty-six, if you will."

Malik sighed and flipped back a few pages in the play's musical score on his piano stand. After cracking his knuckles a few times, he put his nimble fingers back on the keys and nodded to the conductor.

"One and two and ready go!" he counted off, slicing the air with his baton.

The blond Egyptian kept his eyes trained on the music in front of him as his fingers glided across the instrument with speed and precision, not missing a single note to the fast-paced song. The actors onstage began to sing along to his melody as the practice began again.

* * *

**Football Practice Field, After School, Afternoon**

"Hustle, Tokoshie!" the coach yelled loudly.

"Damn it," Marik swore under his breath, charging down the field towards the end zone with seven other players hot on his heels. Suddenly, he looked to the left and locked eyes with another player. Swiveling slightly so that he was at a better angle, the teenager launched the ball smoothly towards his teammate. Three players chased gave chase to the airborne football and headed to the right. Marik picked up speed and ran into the end zone just as the ball came sailing through the air towards him. Catching it effortlessly, he dropped to the ground, panting and gasping for air.

The coach caught up with the winded players at the end zone. "If Heymans hadn't been open you would have been sunk, Tokoshie."

Marik remained silent, still too breathless to speak.

"You're all done for today," the coach said with a sigh and walked off of the field.

Slowly, everyone got up and made their way over to the sidelines to grab their gear. On the way back to the building, everyone had something to say about Marik's performance.

"Why the hell does Coach expect so damn much from you, Tokoshie?!" Heymans ranted, "You ran the whole fuckin' field with us chasing your ass!"

Marik rolled his head to the side, working out the kinks in his neck and shoulders. "Hell if I know."

"Dude!" another player called, catching up to them, "How the fuck do you run so damn fast? I swear to God! It wouldn't have mattered if you passed to Heymans or not. We wouldn't have caught you either way. I thought I was gonna die out there!"

They all reached the locker rooms and quickly stripped down for showers. Marik turned on the water and closed his eyes against the cold spray. After rinsing off quickly, he got dressed back in his jersey and a pair of khaki cargo pants and turned to face the mirrors above the sinks. Running a hand through his already messed-up hair, Marik turned back and shouldered his duffel bag.

"Leaving so soon?" Heymans asked, sounding a little put out, "Don't you wanna hang around a little longer? I thought you liked seeing me all sweaty and naked…" He ran his hands down his slick body as if to emphasize his point.

"Shut up," Marik said with a chuckle, "I'm meeting up with Malik."

And with that being said, he pushed open the door to the locker room and headed out into the cold, early winter air. He followed the paved path through the school's courtyard and into the auditorium entrance. From the main lobby, he could hear faint music coming from further inside. The doors swung inward as Marik invited himself to the rehearsal.

Down on the front stage was what looked like a Renaissance setting, complete with a makeshift castle and moat. The school's drama club was in the middle of rehearsing a song for their play. Marik scanned over the actors, discouraged when he didn't see Malik among them. "The hell? He said he'd be…here…" Marik trailed off, eyes set on the piano to the side of the stage. There sat Malik, pounding vigorously on the ivory keys at an almost inhuman pace. Marik silently took a seat in the back row of the auditorium, propping his tired feet up on the backrest of the seat in front of him.

On and on the rehearsal went, but Marik didn't even notice the sluggish passing of time. Hell, he didn't even notice the vocalists that had been hooked up to the sound system for maximum volume. His attention was firmly fixed on the petite blond at the piano.

When they had finally finished rehearsing, Marik headed up the aisle towards the stage. All of the young actors stopped what they were doing when they noticed Marik Tokoshie was in their presence. He sat down on the piano bench, still unnoticed by Malik, who was writing on the music in front of him with a pencil. "Watcha doin'?" he whispered into the freshman's ear.

Malik yelped and nearly fell off of the bench. He clutched at his chest and looked over at Marik accusingly. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"No, but if I manage to, that's just icing," he teased, grinning wolfishly, "I didn't know you played the piano."

"That's why I asked you to come here," Malik admitted, leaning his head against Marik's shoulder.

"I really liked your playing," Marik told him, bringing up a hand to comb it through Malik's sun-streaked blond hair.

Malik gave him a quizzical look. "You don't seem like the type."

"Oh, and what is my type then?" he asked with an amused sort of smirk on his face.

"Death metal," the younger stated plainly.

"How right you are," the senior agreed with a sigh.

"Great work today, Malik!" the conductor congratulated, coming over to stand by the piano. His eyebrows went up to his hairline when he saw the comfortable position the two students were in. "Ah, and who is this?"

"No one special," Marik replied offhandedly.

"Yes you are!" Malik defended with a frown.

"Aw, I know. I just wanted to hear you say it," he teased with a wink.

"I'll just be leaving you two to your own devices then," the conductor said, turning and walking none too slowly away from the strange couple.

"Hey, Malik?" Marik asked.

Malik hummed in contentment, closing his eyes. "Yes?"

"Do you care where we go next? Because I want to take you to meet my parents," he announced.

"Huh?" Malik straightened up and gave him an odd sort of look. "Seriously?"

* * *

**Domino City Streets, Afternoon**

Malik fiddled with the radio, pushing every button he could find in order to find a good song. With his other hand he twirled his hair around his finger, a clear sign of his nervousness. Marik kept his hands on the wheel, occasionally sneaking glances at his lover. The other teen's nervousness was making him nervous, too. He turned into a parking lot and pulled the sleek, black sports car into an empty space. Switching off the engine, Marik stepped out and slammed the door behind him. He and Malik walked hand in hand up the walkway into a skyscraper of a building with a sign out front reading "Domino City Hospital".

Inside, the smell of disinfectant was nearly unbearable. Their shoes made squeaking noises on the tiled floor as the two blonds approached the front desk.

"How may I help y-" a perky secretary with pigtails began, "Oh. Hey, Marik. Top floor, right?"

"Yeah," Marik confirmed, frowning slightly at her familiarity with him.

The nurse slid a silver colored card key across the desktop towards him before turning to help another visitor.

Marik led Malik over to an elevator and hit the button with the upward-facing arrow printed on it. Immediately, the doors slid open, and they walked inside. Marik pushed the button for the top floor and leaned up against the side of the lift, crossing his arms over his chest. Malik remained standing in the middle of the elevator, gaze fixed firmly on the floor. When they reached the top floor, the distraught teen all but ran out of the elevator. The other walked out slowly with an eyebrow quirked at his boyfriend.

"Just never mind," Malik dismissed, taking slow, deep breaths.

"If you say so," he replied nonchalantly, sliding the card key through the slot on the mechanism attached to the door. Waiting a few seconds until he heard an audible click, Marik ushered Malik inside the hospital room, quickly shutting the door behind them again.

The whole room was bathed in a warm light from the windows on the walls and the skylight in the ceiling. Huge machines and monitors stood on either side of two large hospital beds. Laying on one of the hospital beds was a pale man with limp blond hair. His eyelids were shut, as if in sleep, and his chest rose and fell in time with the steady beeping of the machine he was attached to by many tubes and wires.

In the bed next to his was a frail looking woman with the same shade of once-beautiful sandy blonde hair. Her petite figure looked as if it was drowning in the white hospital sheets on her bed. Like the man next to her, the woman's breathing matched the steady counts of the monitor.

Malik could immediately tell what was wrong with them. His eyes filled with tears of sympathy and sadness. "Oh, Marik, how awful. How long have they…"

"Been like this?" Marik finished from him. He sighed wearily, running a hand through his spiky hair, "Since I was nine. The doctors told me they might still be able to hear, though. Which is a start, I guess."

Marik walked up to the small aisle between their beds and motioned for Malik to do the same. "Mom. Dad. I brought someone to meet you today. His name is Malik Ishtar, and he's the light of my life. I hope you learn to love him like I did."

Malik blushed. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Tokoshie," he greeted shyly, "It's nice to meet you."

"Mom, Malik plays the piano. Isn't that great? Maybe someday I'll get a piano set up in here so he can play for you," he told the unresponsive woman with uncharacteristic excitement in his tone.

Malik gave the other a confused look.

"She loves the piano," Marik explained shortly, shoving his hands into his pockets. A light, almost invisible, blush dusted his cheeks.

"Oh. I'd love to play a song for you sometime, Mrs. Tokoshie," Malik told the lady with a small smile.

The two Egyptians continued to visit with the hospitalized couple. Despite their attempts at creating a light mood, a shadow of despair remained present in the room of Domino Hospital's wealthiest coma patients.

* * *

**Ryou's House, Evening**

Ryou stared critically into his full-length mirror, twisting his body to try and see his outfit from all angles. He was dressed in a crisp white tuxedo shirt with polished black buttons and spotless black slacks. Unbuttoning the top two buttons so that part of his pale collar bone was showing, the teen picked up a brush and ran it through his already pin straight, silky locks for the sixth time.

A brief knock at his door was all the warning Ryou received before his father stepped through the threshold. The man observed his son's incessant brushing for a few seconds. "Your hair is fine, Ryou," he remarked awkwardly. Ryou turned and gave him a surprised look, as if only noticing his father's presence. "Really. You look good."

Ryou turned back to the mirror. "Thanks, Dad," he replied easily, giving his appearance one last glance in the mirror before looking back at his father. "What are you doing here? Not to be rude or anything, but…"

"I just wanted to remind you of our deal. You were only allowed to go out with Mr. Necrophades tonight because you agreed to baby-sit for your Aunt Chikako."

"I know, Dad," Ryou rolled his eyes. His father had been reminding him repeatedly all day. It was a real sacrifice for Ryou. His little cousins were truly terrible.

They both left the room and descended the staircase together. Ryou's mother was sitting at the kitchen table staring at the clock. She looked up when her family entered the room. "Hello, sweetie. Ready for your date?"

"Yeah, Mom," Ryou replied, fidgeting, "Listen, don't get like-"

"Oh my, don't you just look dashing!" Mrs. Bakura interrupted happily, "Such a lovely young man!"

"Mom," Ryou whined and pouted, "Please don't do this in front of Bakura."

At the mention of the senior's name, both parents exchanged wary looks. However, they did their best to remain supportive for their son. "Oh don't worry," she said with a wink, "We'll behave as long as you two behave."

Ryou let out a groan. "Guys, I'm serious."

"So are we," Mr. Bakura said, "I don't want any trouble out of you two."

"Dad, it'll be fine. Trust me a little," Ryou said wearily. His dad had been constantly pestering him about what they called "The Boyfriend Issue" all day.

The doorbell rang at that moment, and Ryou hurried to answer it. He opened the door eagerly, and there stood Bakura. He was dressed in an outfit similar to Ryou's, except for his hair, which was in its usual style. "Hi, Bakura," Ryou said happily and led him back into their kitchen.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bakura," the senior said in an unusually polite tone, "I believe this is the first time we are meeting." He took Mrs. Bakura's hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles then turned and clasped Mr. Bakura's hand in a firm shake. "My name is Bakura Necrophades. It is both a pleasure and an honor to meet you."

Both of Ryou's parents were stunned at his manners. From their first impression of the adolescent, they had assumed he was just another jock with an attitude problem, rich parents, and a frightening haircut.

Bakura let his gaze wander up to their kitchen clock. "Ah, I would love to stay and chat with you more, but our reservation is for seven. I simply abhor tardiness, so we must be off now, I'm afraid." He promptly helped Ryou into his coat and the two headed for the door.

"Bye, guys!" Ryou called back happily as Bakura wound his arm around his waist.

Once they were outside, Bakura let the refined air drop from his features, replacing it with a triumphant smirk. "That was almost too easy."

"How did you do that?" Ryou asked in disbelief.

"What? That? My dad taught me how to talk like that at important business things, and it comes in handy." He tangled his fingers with Ryou's. "Think they like me?"

"Oh, please. Don't be so humble. It doesn't look right on you. After that show, they probably love you."

* * *

**Restaurant, Evening**

Bakura pulled his truck up to a castle of a building and put it in park. Two doormen came over and opened the car doors for the teens, leading them around to a lit walkway. Ryou walked at Bakura's side to the doorway, passing by the meticulously manicured lawn and perfectly symmetrical topiary hedges. The freshman could only gaze around with wide eyes at the spectacle. The doormen opened up the large double doors and the couple stepped inside.

The restaurant was vast and dimly lit. There were countless tables on the first floor with a large area in the middle for dancing. Nearby on a stage was a full string orchestra playing a soft melody. Special tables for only the highest members of society were set up on a balcony that wrapped along the high walls of the building.

"Good evening, monsieur," a maitre d' with a heavy French accent greeted Bakura, bowing at the waist, "And welcome to our fine establishment. To whom do I have the pleasure of addressing on this fine night?"

"Necrophades," Bakura stated plainly, trying hard not to growl at the man. He hated dealing with these pompous, self-righteous idiots.

"Ah, Monsieur Necrophades!" the maitre d' acknowledged in a hushed tone, "Right this way."

The French man led Bakura and Ryou off to the side and up a grand marble staircase to the balcony. There he ushered them past all of the dining couples to an empty table set apart from the rest and pulled out their chairs for them.

Ryou sat down carefully and gazed around the dimly lit palace with awe. Never in his entire life had he seen such a sight as this. All of the men were dressed in perfectly pressed tuxedos and pristinely polished shoes. Not a single hair out of place. And the ladies were wearing such a breathtaking array of colors and fine fabrics. Their dainty shoes looked like they were made for dolls and their sparkling hair ornaments for royalty. Ryou suspected that a few of them might actually be from royal families. The way their finery and poise perfectly complimented the atmosphere of the room made the small teen feel horribly out of place.

Bakura looked curiously over his raised wine glass at Ryou. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"Everything is just so…so elegant!" he decided, "I must stick out terribly here. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for you to bring me here." A dark blush colored his cheeks as he said the last part.

"What are you talking about?" Bakura asked, looking around at all of the other patrons with a look of superiority in his eyes, "You are twice as stunning as everyone here put together!"

Ryou looked down at his lap in embarrassment. Bakura sighed.

A waiter approached their table with two dishes of soup, placing one in front of each teen. He left without comment, but cast a disapproving glance at Ryou before he was completely gone from their presence.

It went unnoticed by Ryou, who was examining all of the different spoons on the table, but Bakura curled his lip at the man's retreating form. Someone was so getting fired later. Turning his attention back to Ryou, he couldn't help but smile amusedly. "The one farthest from the plate, Ryou."

"Oh, okay," Ryou replied and picked up the correct utensil. "Thanks!" he said gratefully, giving his boyfriend a warm smile.

The evening wore on. Bakura and Ryou kept themselves entertained by getting to know each other better. They would take turns telling the other random bits about their lives. Bakura talked about how his mother was an absolute nature freak and health nut, and how his father played along with his wife's obsessions. Apparently, they were so wealthy and famous because they owned a health food store chain and a group of fitness and wellness centers that were immensely popular.

Ryou felt inferior when he admitted that his father was a car salesman and his mother was a kindergarten teacher, but Bakura just brushed off his date's insecurities by saying that he would rather sell cars and teach brats than be a yoga instructor.

Finally, at the end of the night, their bill came. Ryou reached towards his pocket, but Bakura grabbed his wrist quickly before he could even so much as offer to help pay. "Not on your life," he said playfully and pulled out his own wallet, careful not to let Ryou see how much their dinner had cost. After leaving a generous tip on the table, the two descended the marble staircase together, arm in arm. Quickly finding a doorman, Bakura handed him his car keys and turned to Ryou, helping him into his jacket again.

"Did you really just give your keys to a complete stranger?" Ryou asked in disbelief.

"It's the guy's job," Bakura explained.

Ryou continued to look bewildered. "Oh?"

"It's sort of a rich person thing. You don't have to get it. Us wealthy snobs can't be bothered to get our own cars out of parking lots," he said with a snicker.

The doorman came back in and handed Bakura his keys before walking ahead and opening their doors for them.

"Thank you," Ryou said with a smile at the man when he opened his door for him.

The man looked surprised. "You're welcome," he replied before shutting the door.

"Bakura?" Ryou began as the monstrous truck rolled smoothly away from the restaurant, "Why did he look surprised when I thanked him?"

"People don't usually thank the lackeys," Bakura clarified.

"Well they should," Ryou said, crossing his arms over his chest.

They drove in silence for a while before Bakura suddenly pulled off of the road to the curb and cut the engine. "Bakura?" Ryou asked before he was tossed none too gently into the backseat. "Ack!"

Bakura crawled into the backseat after him and sat on Ryou's hips, tracing his boyfriend's collar bone with his tongue.

"Uhm, B-Bakura…" Ryou stuttered, eyelids fluttering shut, "W-What are you-?"

Bakura shushed him, causing them both to shudder, and brought his hands down to Ryou's belt buckle, undoing it with practiced ease.

"S-Stop it," Ryou commanded, wriggling out from underneath the taller boy. Bakura recaptured him and resumed what he was doing. Ryou caught the senior's hands in his own. "We barely know each other."

"We know each other well enough," Bakura defended, latching his skilled mouth onto Ryou's collar bone again.

"No," Ryou pulled away, "We don't. You call one week knowing each other?"

"Yes, and we did do all that talking back at the restaurant," he stated bluntly, moving forward to nibble on Ryou's ear lightly, "Come on, baby. It's just sex, and I love you, remember?"

Ryou's eyes widened then narrowed. He slapped Bakura's hands, and their eyes met again. "How can you say you love me so quickly, Bakura? Or are you just saying that so I'll submit and have sex with you?"

"You're overreacting. Listen to me, Ryou," Bakura said with a frown, "I've seen you a lot before. I've noticed you since you were first in middle school, and I think I know what I'm talking about when I say I love you."

The small teen's eyes widened in realization. "You don't even know what it means to be in love, do you? Love is more than liking the way someone looks."

"Okay, so maybe I've got it a little jumbled up," he conceded, fixing Ryou with a stare that would very well melt a person, "But that doesn't change the fact that I want you badly." Bakura pulled one hand through his boyfriend's hair, the other one at his belt again. "Now," he added huskily.

"Stop it!" Ryou yelled, and his hand collided with the older male's cheek soundly. A dead silence enveloped the car. Fumbling in the dark for the handle, Ryou exited the car and slammed the door behind him. Bakura sat in the silence, staring blankly forward, counting the throbs coming from his stinging cheek, and wondering how it all went so wrong.

Ryou began walking down the sidewalk, searching his pocket with one hand for his cell phone. He hit a speed dial button and brought the device up to his ear. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. "Hey, Otogi? Can you come pick me up?" he asked, voice wavering slightly at the end.

* * *

**Mutou Household, Yuugi's Room, Night**

The room was pitch black except for a dim nightlight in the corner. Two bodies on the bed moved against one another in perfect synchronization. Hushed moans and whispered confessions of affection came from the two teens as they indulged in one of their secret meetings. Yami ran his skilled hands along Yuugi's bare sides as the small teen writhed under him.

"Yuugi," Yami moaned his lover's name breathlessly in between passionate kisses.

"Y-Yeah?" Yuugi asked and bit his lip to stifle a loud cry as the elder's strong teeth bit down on his sensitive skin, leaving a light bruise on the pale boy's neck.

"Is it alright if we," he paused to run his tongue along the shell of Yuugi's ear, earning him another moan, "go farther?"

Yuugi thought his eyes were going to roll back into his head at any moment. "I-"

He was interrupted by a loud knock at the door "Yuugi, what on Earth is going on up here?" Roku asked as he pushed open the door.

"Dad!" Yuugi shrieked and tried unsuccessfully to untangle his body from Yami's.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Roku roared, hands balling into fists.

Yami remained frozen in shock, staring at Yuugi's father. His brain was feverishly trying to formulate a plan. He clasped hands with Yuugi and gave the teen's limb a reassuring squeeze, as it was the only thing he could think of to do.

Roku stood frozen for a moment. The silence was unnerving. "Both of you, come down to the kitchen this instant!" the enraged parent yelled and slammed Yuugi's door shut with an earsplitting bang.

The two locked fearful gazes. "What do you want me to do?" Yami asked.

"Stay with me?" Yuugi asked, voice trembling with fear.

"Of course," Yami replied and gripped Yuugi's tiny hand in his, pulling them both off of the bed. They left the room on shaky legs, hastily fixing rumpled clothing, and descended the stairs into the kitchen together.

Roku glared at the two teens in disgust. "Sit," he commanded angrily.

Yami and Yuugi were quick to do as they were bidden. Yuugi's grandfather appeared in the doorway, alternating his careful gaze between the father and son. When his eyes landed on Yami, he gave the apprehensive teen a reassuring smile.

"What the hell was that back there?" asked the exasperated father, "Every time I tell you not to do something, you go and do it anyway! I was told you were an obedient boy, Yuugi, but you have everyone fooled, don't you?" He turned his head to glare at Yami. "If I am to believe what has been said about my son, then surely it must be your influence that makes him behave this way. Listen to what I say, Mr. Ahknemkhanen, when I tell you that I will not have teenage miscreants such as yourself tainting my son. Is that clear?"

Yami curled his hands into fists under the table, remaining perfectly silent. His face gave away none of the rage he was feeling towards the self-righteous man.

"Do you hear me?!" Roku roared furiously, "I will not be simply brushed aside by some smart-assed punk who has absolutely no respect for anyone other than his own spoiled rotten self!"

"Shut up," Yuugi spoke harshly, voice growing louder, "Just shut up. You act like you know, Dad, but you don't even have a clue. About anything!" His shoulders shook as he reprimanded his father. "I'm not going to let you talk to Yami that way."

Roku planted his hands forcefully on the table and pushed himself out of his chair, glowering at Yuugi with a look that could very well kill. "I've had it with you!"

"For goodness' sake, Roku, give it a rest," Solomon interjected tiredly, "I can't take much more of this. It's high time I stopped your incessant dictating."

"You have no right to stop anything, Sugoroku," Roku stated exasperatedly, "If you don't want to listen to this, then I suggest you go somewhere else."

"Ah, but I do have the right. As a guest in my house, you follow my rules, and I will not have you causing Yuugi anymore trouble. Do you hear me?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice as he mimicked the furious man.

"That's all well and good, but I am Yuugi's legal guardian. As his father, I have a right to discipline him as I see fit. I have a mind to take him with me back to my home in Europe, if that's how you want to play this," he stated smugly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Yuugi locked his startled gaze with Yami's. The older teen's crimson eyes conveyed such despair that Yuugi found himself using his thumb to rub circles on the back of his boyfriend's hand in a comforting gesture.

"Do not fool yourself, Roku. You are not Yuugi's legal guardian, and you have never been."

"What do you mean?! Of course I'm my son's guardian!"

Sugoroku took a deep breath. "Of course she wouldn't have told you. She couldn't have. My daughter knew she would die that day. She was always such a clever girl. I have no idea what made her marry you. Nevertheless, she had enough sense to transfer guardianship to me before she left this world." He turned his head to look at Yuugi and Yami. Both were still looking confused, but a small smile was working its way across Yami's face as he realized what the old man's words meant. "Roku, you are welcome here no longer. I expect you gone as fast as you can book a plane ticket."

* * *

**A/N:**

This is kind of…delayed. I'm really sorry, but maybe a six thousand word count will make you like me again? Personal record, by the way. Go team!

To all of you angry puppyshippers! I posted a oneshot not too long ago to make up for the lack of JouxKaiba lovin' in SFLE. I can't really count them as a main pairing anymore, but maybe you can enjoy my oneshot a little and forgive me?


	10. The Feelings

**A/N:**

Chapter 10 is mostly Bakura and Ryou! Enjoy, my tender shippers! Also, a massive time skip will occur. Make sure that your seatbelts are buckled and your time travel helmets are securely fastened.

**Disclaimer:**

Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. I lost the custody battle and now only get to see it on weekends.

* * *

**Saint Mark's Church, Saturday, Evening**

The loud bells of the church's carillon tolled out a hymn tune as people filed through the doors into the large, ornately decorated building. The pastor greeted the members of the congregation with a smile as they moved into the sanctuary to take their seats. Ryou stood on the curb and adjusted his tie nervously before heading through the doors.

"Ryou! There you are," the pastor said happily with a laugh, "We missed you on Sunday."

Ryou smiled timidly at the man as he realized he wouldn't be able to just slip in unnoticed. "Ah, yeah," he chuckled along with the man awkwardly, unsure of what to say, "I have to go somewhere else on Sunday mornings now."

"Oh? And where would that be?" the holy man asked curiously, prompting the boy to continue.

"I, uh, have group therapy sessions now." Before the pastor had time to comment, Ryou hurried off into the sanctuary to take a seat in a vacant pew in the back of the large room.

The service passed by peacefully, though Ryou's heart wasn't in it at all. The small teen no longer felt welcome in the church amidst all of the other Christian men and women. A feeling of unease and worry swept over him when the pastor signaled that it was time for the confession of sins. You could hear a pin drop in the silent room as all heads bowed to reflect on themselves. As quietly as he could manage, Ryou slipped out of the pew and all but dashed for the church's exit.

* * *

**Status Quo Building, Sunday, Morning**

Ryou fidgeted nervously, picking at the hem of the cushy bean bag chair he was sitting in. Maxine was staring at him curiously as the two sat in silence in the brightly lit room. As she swung her legs back and forth, Maxine traced a circular pattern with her finger absently on the desk she was perched on top of. A look of deep thought and concentration clouded her steely gray eyes. Finally, the silence was broken. "Ryou?" she asked.

"Yes?" he responded quickly.

"Why is it that you're here," she asked, never breaking eye contact with the small teen.

"Uhm, because you told me to come today. Remember?" the teen asked, slightly confused.

Maxine laughed. "No no. I mean why are you enrolled in our program."

Ryou looked down at his lap and twisted a strand of his white hair around his index finger. "I thought I told you already on that first day."

The therapist shook her head. "You misunderstand. I ask why you're here, not why your parents sent you here." At his look of puzzlement, she continued. "Why do you want to change?"

"But I don't want to change," Ryou told her quietly, "I like who I am, and I don't really care much if my parents are uncomfortable with my lifestyle. I just want to be me. Is that so bad?"

Maxine grinned at him. "Not at all. I knew it, though."

"Uhm, huh?" the teen asked, surprise written across his face.

"That's precisely why I'm making absolutely no progress with you, Ryou." She laughed loudly and jumped down from her desk. "I can't help you change if you don't want to change at all in the first place."

"Oh," he stated plainly, not really sure of what to say. In truth, Ryou never expected himself to change at all in the first place. Hearing someone else say it, however, was different.

"Ryou, if you learn anything from me, know that you are a beautiful, special person. Just being different from someone else doesn't make you bad, alright?"

"Okay," he replied with a small smile on his lips.

"I'm glad we understand each other. I'll have to call your parents later, though," she said to herself, already preoccupied with her own thoughts.

"I'll just go now, then," Ryou told her, heading for the door.

"Great. Send Yurichi in after you!"

* * *

**Ahknemkhanen Estate, Basement, Afternoon**

Yami's hand jerked to the side, twisting the pool stick and making him hit the cue ball straight off of the table and miss his target completely. "You what?!" he almost shouted.

Bakura's only response was to groan and peek out of the pile of cushions on the couch he had buried himself in moments ago.

"One thousand dollars. On the first date. Seriously, Bakura?" he asked again, leaning on his pool stick and watching Marik line up to take a shot at the billiards table.

Marik struck the stick against the cue ball, and the balls in the middle of the table broke out of their perfect triangle formation with a satisfying crack, scattering all over the table. "And then he ran away. Way to go."

"Shut up, Tombkeeper. You took Malik to a fuckin' hospital for your first official date," Bakura snapped back, tossing cushions and sitting up to glare at the other teen.

"What really gets me," Yami continued, surveying his options with a scowl as Marik continued to look pleased, "Is that you almost fucked him on the first date."

"So did Marik!" Bakura protested angrily, chugging another beer from the six pack sitting on the coffee table.

"That wasn't an almost for him," the teen said as he took another shot at the billiards table.

"Yeah," Marik agreed happily, "Malik was bending to my will long before our first date. And I do mean bending, you know." He grinned devilishly at his friend.

Yami smacked him sharply on the back of his head with his pool stick. "Lovely image. Thank you so much, Marik."

"Hey, hey. You fucked me before, too, Pharaoh," Marik informed him, "Or have you repressed all of those kinky, painful memories?"

"Unfortunately not," Yami replied with a slight pout as he positioned himself for his next move.

The blond went over to the refrigerator by the bar countertop and pulled out a can. "Want one, Pharaoh?"

"Can't," the teen replied glumly, "I quit that stuff."

"Whoa, seriously?" Bakura asked, shocked, "You quit?"

"As in, like, forever?" Marik added.

Yami nodded. "It's for Yuugi."

"Ooooh! Someone's in love!" both teens sang to him at the same time.

"So are you both!" he snapped back, waving the pool stick he was holding at them menacingly.

Bakura's smile immediately dropped from his face. "Fuck, guys. What the hell am I gonna do?"

"Have sex with Marik?" the blond in question asked hopefully.

"As appealing as that sounds, I don't think it'd do me much good," he replied glumly.

"Uhm, Bakura?" Yami asked.

"Hm?" the white haired teen grunted, holding his face in his hands with his elbows propped up on his knees.

"You could, you know, apologize," the senior suggested with a half-shrug.

Bakura gave him a blank stare. "I'm being serious here, you know. Let's not start talking like we've taken a mind-altering substance of some sort."

"It's not a bad idea, Bakura," Marik chipped in, draping his arms over Yami's shoulders and letting his friend support his weight, "I'm getting to know Malik a lot better, and I've never been happier. All because I told him I was sorry. Besides, apology sex is fantastic!"

"But I can't get Ryou to screw with me at all!" Bakura whined.

"Once again. First date. Bad move," the tri-color haired teen told him, glancing over his shoulder at Marik suspiciously.

"Fuck you, Yami," he moaned, "I know, okay?!"

Suddenly, Bakura's cell phone started to ring. With a defeated sigh, he checked the caller ID. "Dad?" he said, curiosity replacing his dismay. Yami and Marik watched him with mirrored expressions of interest.

"Hey?" Bakura questioned into the phone, "…Yeah. What about her?… Again?… Oh, shit. Did you send a search party?… Fuck. Yeah, I'll be right there." He snapped his phone shut with a frustrated growl and turned to face his friends. "Ez ran away."

"Oh really now?" Yami asked, thoroughly unconcerned. This wouldn't be the first time.

"Is that so?" Marik asked at the same time in the same tone. They both knew the drill by now.

"She's not in this country anymore," Bakura clarified, running a shaking hand through his spiky hair.

* * *

**Necrophades Estate, Living Room, Evening**

A middle-aged woman sat on a couch in her living room, fanning herself with a magazine. The couch was a dark green that matched the walls as well as her tracksuit. Her gray hair was streaked with white in places and pulled up into a high pony-tail, although some strands had escaped from the elastic band. Everything about her appearance spoke exhaustion, from her slouched posture to her tired eyes. Bakura stood behind the couch with his arms crossed and a thoughtful frown on his face. His eyes were focused on the back of his mother's head, silently willing her to get a grip before she worried herself to death.

A police officer entered from the doorway to the left and crossed the room, coming to attention in front of Mrs. Necrophades. He sighed, which made Bakura roll his eyes, and opened up his notebook. "Any idea of where she could be or who she could be with?"

"If we knew that we wouldn't need your expert help, genius," Bakura snapped at him in annoyance.

"Now, Bakura," his mother said in an oddly calm tone, offering her son a reassuring smile. "Ezma never told us about her life, so we had no idea she was feeling so crowded that she needed to escape," she told the man with regret.

"Her friends were a bunch of stoners," Bakura spat out with obvious contempt.

"Bakura!" Mrs. Necrophades exclaimed, "Where are your manners?"

"Dunno," he replied quietly, staring at the side wall with an air of indifference.

"Interesting," the officer said, jotting something down in his notebook, "Any idea of what time she left?"

"Well, Ezma usually slept in until the afternoon on weekends. To recharge her mental energy, you know? We didn't check on her until about two." Her mood changed dramatically and she choked back a sob. "What kind of parent am I?!" she wailed, burying her face in her hands. Her perfectly manicured nails made tiny marks on her cheeks where she pressed them into her skin. Bakura put a hand on her shoulder in an effort to offer her some comfort.

"Aina," he said impatiently, "Do you want to cooperate and get your daughter back or not?" When the only response he got from the woman was another heart-wrenching sob, he sighed exasperatedly and rolled his eyes. "Christ, lady."

Bakura's eyes narrowed. He walked around the couch and stood in front of the officer, towering over the short man. "Listen, fatty," he snarled, poking the officer in his large middle, "Nobody talks to my mother that way! I want you to either shut the fuck up or get the hell out. Clear?!" Bakura grabbed the man's shirt collar and wrinkled his nose in disgust as if he didn't even like touching him.

"Y-Yes," the officer stuttered back, gripping Bakura's wrist and vainly trying to pry the teen's hands off of his shirt.

"Great," he spat out, letting go of him and falling back onto the couch next to his mother. He watched, disinterested, as the police officer walked out of the room, casting a nervous glances behind him at the angry teen. "All this trouble for one brat," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Bakura," Mrs. Necrophades said disapprovingly, "She's your sister."

"Technically no," he replied, running a hand through his messy, white locks, "Anyway, it's not as if I have enough stress as it is. No, we have to have Ez and her random acts to get attention."

"You? Stress? Ha! What could you possibly be worried over, Bakura?" she asked disbelievingly, but her tone held a hint of concern.

"Ryou."

"That sweet boy you never let me meet?" she asked, "What trouble could he cause you?"

"He's too good, Mom. No one should be that innocent," he said with annoyance.

She looked at him with suspicion and accusation. "You didn't do anything to that poor soul, did you?"

Bakura chuckled humorlessly. "Something like that."

"Bakura Necrophades!" she exclaimed indignantly, "Honestly! Where in the world do you pick up this behavior at? How can you be so callous towards our partners in life here on Earth?"

He hummed quietly to himself while his mother continued to rant about having integrity and how horrible his manners are. Imagining himself away from his living room, he tried to picture how his date would have gone if Ryou wasn't such a prude. As soon as the image of Ryou popped into his mind, all upset and shocked, he felt a pang in his chest. "What the hell?"

"What?" Mrs. Necrophades asked in annoyance, "Have you heard a word I've said?"

"Mom, I…I've got to go out, okay?" Bakura said shakily, standing up and leaving for the front door before his mother could protest. Grabbing his keys off of the table in the hallway and slipping into his coat, he strode quickly down the walkway. Jamming his key angrily into the lock on his truck door, he flung himself into the driver's seat. "I do not miss him, damn it!"

* * *

**Monday, Domino City High School, Hallways, Morning**

Growling angrily at no one in particular, Bakura slammed his locker shut and gave it an extra kick for good measure. The other students walked a safe ten feet away from him in case he decided to switch from beating up inanimate objects to people.

Yami walked casually up to his friend, carrying his school bag over one shoulder, and stood silently as Bakura continued to take his anger out on his locker. After a few seconds, Marik walked over with the same calm yet curious demeanor.

"Fuck it all! Fuck you, fuck me, fuck everyone, fuck life, fuck all the fucking fuck out of everything, bitch!" Bakura ranted furiously, punching his locker with reckless abandon.

"Ah, Bakura?" Yami asked in a level tone, "One has to wonder what the hell is up with you today?"

"I'll tell you what the hell is up with him," Marik answered, "Judging by how many times he's said fuck, and taking into account the fact that he's ruined yet another locker door, it can be inferred that Ryou hasn't come back to him yet."

"Ah." Yami nodded understandingly. "Is he right, Bakura?"

Marik crossed his fingers behind his back.

"He needs me, damn it, and he fucking knows it! So then why the fuck hasn't he called?!" the white haired teen yelled, turning to face his friends with murderous intent in his eyes.

"Score!" Marik pumped his fist in the air.

"More than just a pretty face, aren't you?" Bakura spat out angrily, glaring daggers at the blond.

"This is getting stupid. Bakura, why don't you just go apologize to him already? As long as you take it out on us and the furniture, Ryou will never know that you miss him," Yami stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I do not miss him!" Bakura yelled, grabbing the collar of Yami's shirt and lifting him off of the ground, bringing their faces so close that Yami could feel his friend's ragged breathing.

Yami squirmed. "Alright, alright already," he conceded nervously, "You don't want him back, and I get it. A little help, Marik?"

Marik grabbed Yami by the waist and ripped him out of Bakura's grasp. "No manhandling the Pharaoh, Bakura."

"I never said I didn't want him back," Bakura told Yami testily.

"Yes you did!"

"Hardly, Pharaoh," Marik interjected with sarcasm, moving in between the two quarreling teens, "Bakura doesn't give a damn about Ryou's feelings or what he wants. All our Tomb Robber wants is to get into the kid's pants. Everyone knows that emotions will only get in the way of a relationship. Especially a truly successful, meaningful, and long-term relationship like the one they have. I can see why he's so confused. There's no doubt in my mind that it wouldn't occur to anyone that love is more than just screwing around."

Bakura looked like he had been slapped in the face, and Yami just looked stunned. They both stared, slack-jawed, at Marik. "Wow. That was impressive," Yami said finally after a few seconds of total silence.

"Thanks. I owe it all to Malik kicking my ass around and keeping me in line," he replied a bit fondly.

"Being with Malik taught you all that?" Bakura asked, oddly quiet.

"Well, being in love with such a kick-ass guy can teach you a thing or two."

"Oh," he replied quietly and walked off to class without another word.

Marik and Yami watched him go with identical expressions of concern on their faces.

"Wonder what he'll do next," Yami said to himself.

"I hope I got through to that idiot," Marik said with a shrug and switched his books to his other arm.

"That was you not long ago, remember?" the teen reminded him.

"Yeah, but I figured it out."

* * *

**~~Time Skip~~**

**

* * *

**

**Saturday, Bakura Household, Late December, Morning**

Yawning widely, Ryou threw the covers off of his bed and promptly stood up. He stretched out his arms and glanced first at the clock, it read eight, and then out the window. Snowflakes were drifting listlessly to the piles of snow on the ground from the storm the previous night. Walking over to his closet, Ryou gazed absently at his reflection in the mirror. If only his hair was a little messier, his eyes a bit more wild, then Bakura would be right there staring back at him. Sighing, Ryou turned from the mirror. "Why do I even bother pretending?" he asked himself out loud, "I turned him down. That's the end of it. I don't put out or anything, so there's no reason for him to want me back." He sighed. "Maybe if I was more like Malik, then maybe Bakura would look twice at me again."

Ryou yawned quietly, descending the stairs in his pajamas, and rubbed at his eye. His parent were sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper together.

"Good morning," Ryou told them sleepily, heading for where they kept the cereal.

"Morning," his father mumbled, eyes still fixed on the newspaper.

"Good morning, Dear," his mother said. She stood up and walked over to the stove. "Eggs for breakfast sound good?"

"Thanks, Mom," Ryou replied gratefully, taking a seat at the table.

"Have you heard any news about that little friend of yours? Her case is still in the paper."

"Nope," Ryou replied.

"Oh. Are you two still not on speaking terms?" she asked gently, afraid of saying something she shouldn't to her son. Lately, every time someone mentioned Bakura in front of him, he would clam up and lock himself in his room for hours at a time. Once when he didn't lock the door, they found him staring at his reflection in the mirror.

"No," Ryou replied stiffly, but he remained at the table.

"Oh. That's a shame."

"Yeah."

* * *

**Necrophades Estate, Morning**

Bakura opened his eyes groggily, confused when he noticed that it was still pitch dark outside. And why were his toes cold? Pushing himself up, the blanket fell off of his bed to reveal his unusually cluttered room. He groaned and rubbed his head before standing up and shuffling over to his closet. Staring into his mirror with a frown, he could almost imagine himself with tidier hair and softer brown eyes. "After what I did," Bakura told himself, "I can forget having anything to do with that kid ever again."

Bakura's usually clean room was cluttered with all sorts of things. Worn out notebooks, pencils and pens, bobby pins with single strands of snowy white hair still in them, worksheets, a worn-out set of headphones, a dark green scarf, some sheet music, and even empty soda cans were strewn about his room. This was only scratching the surface of all of the things Bakura had laying around. These things didn't belong to him, however. They were Ryou's. You see, in the time since Ryou and Bakura had split, the senior had taken up a new hobby. Photos of Ryou Bakura lined the walls, covering almost every inch of white paint. The sight was a little overwhelming.

He headed slowly out the door and down the hall to the staircase. With each sluggish step he took, the smell of the chef making breakfast became stronger. In the dining room, his mother and father were already eating breakfast. While his mother's attention was fixed firmly on the wide-screen television in the corner, which was playing a yoga tape she had filmed recently, his father was talking on the phone with the investigation team.

"Give up?" he asked crossly, "Why would we give up now? It's still far too early for that. Our little girl is still out there somewhere." Mr. Necrophades raised a hand in greeting at his son as he talked.

Mrs. Necrophades, wanting to be as quiet as possible so as to not interrupt the call, mouthed the words "good morning, Bakura" and motioned to a chair. As soon as Bakura sat down, the chef appeared and placed a plate of pancakes in front of him.

"What do I pay you for?" Mr. Necrophades asked crossly, "Do I pay you to give up?" He stood up and left the room, still arguing on the phone.

Bakura raised his eyebrows at his mother.

"The investigation team wants to stop searching for Ezma," Mrs. Necrophades informed him with a shrug, eyes never leaving the television screen.

After nearly inhaling his breakfast, Bakura stood up and left the room. "I'm going out," he told his mother. Picking up his jacket off of the coat rack in the hallway and grabbing his keys, Bakura threw all his weight at the door to force it open. The snow piled on the steps, on the walkway, and in front of the door came all the way up to his knees. "What do we even pay those groundskeepers for anyway?" he asked himself gloomily and forced his way through the drifts towards his truck.

Some of the streets in Domino City hadn't even been plowed yet. Bakura's giant tires left deep trenches in the snow as he drove at a safe twenty miles per hour over the speed limit. Only when the teen was coming down a quiet little street with rows of houses did he slow down. He pulled over to the curb and cut the engine. After rummaging around in the back seat for a while, he pulled out a square, black camera with a strap attached to it. Bakura kicked the door open and stepped out onto the sidewalk, heading down the block towards an awfully familiar house. He looked around for a minute, contemplating which angle would be the best to photograph from when Ryou came out to get the mail. This was his hobby, after all.

* * *

**A/N:**

I'm so sorry this update took so long, everyone. I wish I could say that there's a large word count to make up for it, but there isn't. I also wish I could say that I was super busy and couldn't type as frequently, but that's only half true. Still, the update is here, all the same. We don't have that many more chapters left to go! Two at the most, actually. I bet you're all going to go leave me a little review now, aren't you? I always feel guilty when people leave such nice reviews and I know that I'm such a lazy author. So guilt trip me! I'm game! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all in 11!


	11. The Past

**A/N: **

The people who love Anzu-bashing are going to be angry with me. I just know it. But anyway, enjoy chapter 11! Also, kudos to YaoifanRisaMM for being such a good sport about my mind-blowing laziness.

Note the change in the last scene if you've read this before.

**Disclaimer:**

Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!.

* * *

**Tuesday Morning, Domino High School, Science Classroom**

Yuugi was walking down the hallway towards the science classroom with a cheery smile on his face. Yesterday had been a snow day, and he had gone to the mall with Malik, Yami, and Marik. Bringing his hand up to eye level for about the fiftieth time that day, he happily watched the light catch the brilliant amethyst stone embedded in the silver band around his finger. Marik had bought Malik a similar ring. Yuugi and Malik were put out when Ryou had refused their invitation to go along. Ryou usually never missed an opportunity to be with his friends. However, these days the quiet teen was even more reclusive.

Up ahead, Yuugi could see Jirou waiting by the door, looking defeated. Standing next to him was Anzu, who was scanning the crowd of students passing through the hallway. Yuugi walked up to the two of them with a thoughtful frown on his face. "Hello?"

Anzu and Jirou both looked at him. "Ah, Yuugi!" Anzu greeted, clapping her hands together, "Just the person we were looking for!"

"Anzu said I should talk to you about something, but she wouldn't say what. Sorry, Yuugi. I'm just as lost as you are here," Jirou chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"We need to wait until Yami get's here, though," she told the two boys, "This is a group meeting."

"O-Okay," Yuugi stammered, unsure of what exactly was going on.

At that moment, Yami appeared behind Yuugi. "Hello, Yuugi," he said smoothly. In a clipped tone, he addressed Jirou and Anzu. "What is it?"

"Jirou and Anzu wanted to talk to us," Yuugi told him, leaning back towards the senior. Yami took Yuugi's books for him, and Yuugi smiled appreciatively.

"Do they now?" Yami asked, quirking his eyebrow, "Go on, then."

"Yuugi, do you remember what I talked to you about before?" Anzu asked, "What I said about Yami and Jirou."

"What have you been telling him?" Yami asked, trying to hide the rising panic in his voice, "I swear, Anzu, if you've been talking about things that don't concern you."

"Yami, you know that's not my style," she said nervously, trying to placate him. She moved her designer handbag from one hand to the other, trying not to back down from the other senior, "I only told him what I thought he needed to know. Yuugi, did he ever talk to you about it?"

Yuugi shook his head. "What are you three going on about?"

"You don't need to know," Yami said harshly, grabbing Yuugi's shoulder, "Let's go."

"Ah, Yami!" Yuugi protested, shaking his boyfriend's hand off, "What's gotten into you?"

"Sorry, Yuugi," he mumbled, looking to the side so he wouldn't have to meet the small teen's eyes.

"You really would be better off not knowing if this is what I think it's about," Jirou told him glumly, "It's nothing I'm proud of."

"Yuugi, do you want to know what happened?" Anzu asked gently.

"Yeah, if you don't mind," Yuugi said, glancing quickly at Jirou and Yami, "Where can we go?"

"Anywhere but here," Anzu said quickly, "I see Pegasus coming!" She grabbed Yuugi's wrist and pulled him down the hallway, Jirou and Yami following after them.

Anzu stopped when they reached the auditorium. It was dark and empty in the large theater. Not bothering to turn on the lights, they made their way to the front row of auditorium seats and sat down on the floor.

"Feel free to add to the story, boys," she told Jirou and Yami, "Now, where do I start?"

"Don't start at the beginning," Jirou told her, twisting his hands anxiously, "Just tell him the most important parts."

~Flash Back~

The rain was coming down in torrents on a pitch black night. On the edge of an alley stood two teens under an umbrella. The one holding the umbrella had sandy blond hair and steely gray eyes. The teen next to him had spiky red, black, and blond hair framing his tanned face. Dark crimson eyes were narrowed slightly as he talked in a hushed tone into his cell phone. Both teens were clad in all black and wore identical impatient expressions.

"Hurry up, Yami," the teen holding the umbrella said, biting back his aggravation.

The one called Yami snapped his phone shut and slipped it into his pocket. He signaled for the other to follow and walked out from under the umbrella. "Let's go, Jirou."

The brunet folded the umbrella and hurried to catch up to his retreating partner. "So, it got there safely then?" he asked anxiously.

"Seems like it. We wouldn't be waiting out here in the pouring rain for hours asking ourselves that same question if you hadn't missed the guy tailing us," his partner snapped back.

"Hey! It's dark out, and it's raining! What do you expect?" Jirou defended indignantly.

"You're too soft with these people, Jirou," Yami argued back, "I would've been able to do it."

Jirou stopped walking. He stood motionless on the sidewalk, glaring at Yami.

"Hurry up, will you? We're going to get sick if we stand around out here all night."

This scene was unfortunately familiar for the two teens. They were barely sixteen, yet they had been involved with a street gang for a year already. Neither particularly liked the gang life, but neither would admit it. Under aliases to protect their identities, the two youths had begun doing these risky things in efforts to impress the other. Both knew what they were doing was dangerous, stupid, and most likely unnecessary, but their prides got in the way of stopping the twisted game.

"Are you sure the tail was taken care of?" Jirou asked nervously.

"That's what the boss said, and I trust him," Yami replied calmly.

Both teens knew very well that the boss was not to be trusted at all. Neither said a word about it as they continued walking.

A gun shot rang out, and both teens instinctively froze. Yami pivoted on the spot, drawing his handgun and pointing it blindly towards the shadows. A second shot sounded and Jirou dropped to the sidewalk with a gasp of pain. Yami fired his own gun a fraction of a second later into the dark alley they had just come out of. The shooter dropped to the pavement with a muffled cry. Flinging his gun onto the sidewalk with a clatter, Yami dropped to his knees beside Jirou. Prying his partner's hands away from his profusely bleeding wound, Yami assessed the damage quickly before pulling out his cell phone and dialing for an ambulance.

~End Flash Back~

"I blacked out after that," Jirou said quietly.

"I had to explain everything to the doctors and the police later on," Yami continued, "Needless to say, the whole syndicate was busted, and we can never be seen in that district ever again."

"Somehow, we managed to stay out of jail," Jirou mused, staring inquiringly at Yami, "I still have no idea how you managed to pull that off."

"And I don't intend to tell you," the senior stated plainly.

Yuugi stared at Yami with a horrified expression on his face. "You mean to tell me that Jirou was shot because neither of you would swallow your damn pride?!"

Yami flinched at his boyfriend's harsh tone. Jirou and Anzu watched quietly, neither daring to interrupt. "It's not like I meant to get him shot," Yami reasoned weakly.

"Both of you could have been murdered!" the small teen almost screamed.

"And I'll never do such a stupid and reckless thing ever again for as long as I live," he vowed weakly, shrinking away from the enraged freshman.

"You'd better not." Yuugi crossed his arms over his chest, an uncharacteristic scowl darkening his soft features. He turned to the other offending person menacingly. "And you."

"Me," Jirou stated miserably.

"What on Earth could you have been thinking?! Were you just going to go along with Yami's insane stunts until one of you actually died?" he asked angrily, glaring darkly.

"Hey! It was just as much Jirou's fault as it is mine!" Yami argued indignantly.

"Oh, be quiet, will you?" Yuugi shook his head, running a hand through his spiky locks. "The two of you are a pair of hopeless idiots," he concluded, "Just hopeless."

"I agree completely, Yuugi," Anzu chimed in, nodding her head in agreement, "They were bad for each other from the start. Two hotheaded boys trying to show off by participating in gang violence? Oh, please."

"Shut up," Yami growled, glaring at her.

"She's right," Yuugi said with an exasperated sigh. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Forgive me?" the senior asked hopefully. He pressed himself closer to Yuugi's side, burying his face in the teen's hair. "You should forgive me. I was just a dumb kid back then."

"Don't expect to get off so easily," Yuugi mumbled, but he made no move to push the other away.

The bell rang and faint voices could be heard from the hallway as the students moved to their next class.

"Ah, shit," Jirou cursed, "We should get going before they notice we're gone."

"It's a little late for that."

All four teen's heads whipped up to stare at the cheery form of Pegasus. He was smiling happily and looked oddly calm.

"Um, we can explain," Anzu stammered, trying to formulate an excuse.

Pegasus laughed. "No need, my dear. Just run along to your next classes, children, and don't be late!"

The four teens left the auditorium thinking the same horrifying thought. How much had he heard?

* * *

**Friday, Domino High School Cafeteria, Afternoon**

It was the day before winter break. Domino High School was in a constant blur of activity as teachers tried desperately to control their unruly classes, winter decorations were being put up, and students were sharing their last day together before going their separate ways for the extended break. Students everywhere were exchanging phone numbers and vacation plans, bragging about all of the places they were going to be spending the holiday at. When the bell rang for lunch, everyone piled into the cafeteria.

Yami, Bakura, and Marik were sitting at their usual table at the front of the cafeteria, but only Yami and Marik seemed to be into the spirit of the holiday. They both had Santa Clause hats perched jauntily on their heads, and were, shall we say, really enjoying the holiday.

"Come on, Mrs. Clause," Yami said with a smirk, leaning in to nudge noses with Yuugi, "Give Santa a kiss."

"Yami, for the last time, I am not Mrs. Clause," Yuugi replied, quickly becoming annoyed with his boyfriend and bashful due to the audience of fangirls scribbling furiously in their notebooks. "Now, let me get down from here so I can finish my lunch, please." He tried to pry Yami's arms from his waist so he could climb down from the senior's lap.

Yami laughed, not budging an inch. "No, no, no, Mrs. Clause. That will never do. How can I deliver presents to everyone else without giving you one first?"

Malik was in the same situation, but unlike Yuugi, the blond had no desire to stop Marik. "Oh, Santa!" he exclaimed in mock sadness, "I haven't been good at all this year."

Marik grinned suggestively and rolled his hips provocatively, eliciting a breathless moan from Malik. "I'm sure I can come up with something for you. In fact, I have just the package in mind."

Despite his friend's antics, Bakura hadn't move since they'd carried him into the cafeteria at the beginning of lunch. The senior was slumped over on the table with his head in his arms. Every so often he would twitch, letting his friends know he was still alive.

"Hey, Bakura?" Marik asked, turning his attention away from Malik, "Is it me or are you even less alive today than usual?"

Yami, not one to be left out, joined in. "Didn't you get enough beauty sleep last night?"

"Oh, leave him alone, would you?" Yuugi interrupted sympathetically, "Bakura?"

Bakura grunted in response. Yami and Marik exchanged shocked glances.

"Would it be alright if I asked you why you're so lifeless today?" the small teen asked again kindly. When he got a shrug in return, Yuugi continued, "It's Ryou, right?"

"Yeah," was the weak response Bakura gave. His voice came out strained due to not using it all day.

"For the love of-" Marik began angrily.

"If that's the only-" Yami started at the same time.

"Guys," Yuugi shushed them, pressing a finger to his lips, "I'll be back. Don't do anything stupid, and pick up your head, Bakura. Honestly, you look like a dead person." He slid off of Yami's lap and disappeared in the crowd of students.

The three friends sat in awed silence. Bakura had even raised his head in shocked obedience.

"What kind of crazy power does that kid have?" Marik asked uneasily.

"I don't know," Yami replied slowly, "I always thought he was afraid of Bakura."

A few minutes later, Yuugi returned with a skeptical looking Ryou in tow. "Okay you two. We're going to leave so you can sort things out."

"We are?" Marik and Yami asked at the same time.

"Yep," Yuugi replied, "And I don't want to hear another word about it."

"Whatever," Malik replied, sliding off of Marik, "Just don't start crying or anything, Ryou."

Ryou turned red, fixing angry eyes on his friend. Malik just laughed and left with the other three teens. An awkward silence fell over the two remaining boys. Ryou fidgeted nervously and dropped his gaze to the floor, unsure of what to say.

"Sit…please?" Bakura tried, wincing at how pathetic he sounded using that word. Bakura Necrophades was never one to be polite. Ryou quickly took the seat next to his ex and kept his gaze lowered. "Look up at me, will you? I don't like talking to the top of your head."

"I'm sorry!" Ryou said quickly, clapping a hand to his mouth. He slowly lowered his hand and met the gaze of a taken aback Bakura. "I'm sorry we haven't really talked since then. I was upset."

"Look, this really isn't my thing, but I'm sorry, too," Bakura admitted sincerely before he could stop himself, for he would surely change his mind, "I don't give a damn anymore about whether you'll let me fuck you or not. I just want you back."

"W-What?" Ryou asked disbelievingly, "You do?"

"Yeah." The senior rubbed his head, further messing up his tangled hair. "I don't expect a sappy forgiveness speech or anything like that. I just want you to know that I'd take you back. If you even want me back, that is."

Ryou smiled and stood up, moving to stand in front of Bakura. "You don't have to go on," he said, combing through Bakura's messy hair carefully with his fingers and untangling the knots, "I don't want to hear you say anything you aren't ready to say yet. I think we can work the rest out from here."

* * *

**Domino High School Auditorium, After School**

The director rapped his baton off of the piano angrily, signaling for Malik to stop playing. "Wrong again! How long must we sit here until you get it right?!" he yelled exasperatedly.

"Sorry," Malik muttered darkly, turning back in the book to the beginning while rolling his eyes towards the ceiling.

The director turned away, leaning against the piano. Malik glared vehemently at his back, wanting nothing more than to shove the elder man to the floor and give him a piece of his mind. They had been going over the same song for almost an hour, and the pianist was at the end of his rope.

"That is all I can stand today," the director declared with a heavy sigh. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his forehead. "At this rate, you'll never be able to play that part."

"I have nearly five months to work on it," Malik reasoned dourly, pulling his book off of the piano's music stand and jamming it into his bag.

"If you are too lazy to work on it now, what makes you think it will be any better in five months?" the director asked incredulously

Without bothering to snap back at the insufferable man, Malik tugged on his sweatshirt, shouldered his music bag, and stormed angrily out of the auditorium without so much as a glance back.

Marik stood leaning against the door of his car, a monster of a sports utility vehicle, and stared up at the sky. Soft white flakes were floating lazily to the ground. He was so wrapped up in watching the snow, he didn't notice a girl approach him slowly along the walkway. She continued walking along the curb and stopped when she was directly in front of him. "Hey, Marik?" she asked , flipping her long brown hair back absently.

Only just noticing her presence, Marik leveled his gaze at her. "Yeah?"

"Well, I figured if you weren't busy with anyone else then we could do something later. Whatever you're into is good with me," she informed him with a flirtatious smile, "So, your place or mine?"

Malik shoved open the rusty entrance door and walked away from the building. The first thing he noticed was Marik. The second thing he noticed was a girl talking to Marik. Raising his eyebrows, Malik walked over to the pair with an amused look on his face. He went around the girl and stood by Marik, looking up at all the snowflakes twirling in the sky. Marik continued to stare at the girl.

"Oh, I didn't realize you had someone today. What about tomorrow?" she asked, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

"No, tomorrow won't work," Marik replied, smirking slightly, "Malik doesn't like it when I have others."

Her jaw dropped slightly, but the girl quickly composed herself. Marik grabbed Malik's hand and laced their fingers together. The girl's jaw dropped again. "You have an actual boyfriend?!" He nodded. Without another word, the girl whipped out her cell phone and began typing rapidly as she walked away.

"Damn right I don't like it," Malik muttered to himself. His mouth curved up in a smirk as he watched the girl leave. "And now everyone's going to know about it."

Marik opened the passenger door for Malik before going around the car and getting into the driver's seat. They drove away from the school in silence before Malik's smile turned into a scowl.

"Hey, something wrong?" Marik asked without looking away from the road.

"The idiot director was just making my life hell today. Can you believe he thought I was playing one song wrong for over an hour!?" he raged, glaring up at Marik.

"Well, were you?" Marik asked plainly.

He didn't get any for hours.

* * *

**Saturday, Domino City Mega Mall, Afternoon**

The mall wasn't very crowded for a Saturday. Only a few groups of shoppers milled around in the stores. In Bakura's opinion, it was damned near perfect. He held onto Ryou's waist protectively all the same. Ryou wasn't complaining. He finally got Bakura back, and he wasn't about to ask him to let go any time soon. Yami and Yuugi had left them to go look in a pet store. By the look on Yuugi's face as he dragged his boyfriend into the shop, they weren't going to come out to rejoin their friends any time soon.

"Poor Yami," Marik said sympathetically, glancing at the pet store his friend had disappeared into half an hour ago. The four friends were currently sitting on a bench across from said pet store, waiting for Yami and Yuugi to return, hopefully with no one extra.

Ryou pulled a lolipop he had bought at the candy store out of a shopping bag and unwrapped it. "I hope he has enough willpower to tell Yuugi he can't have a dog. His grandfather is allergic to pets."

"Hah, Yami has about as much willpower as a houseplant," Bakura commented, plucking Ryou's lolipop from his grasp and sticking it in his mouth.

"Hey!" Ryou cried, snatching his lolipop back.

Malik leaned over and took the candy from Ryou, giving it a lick. He laughed as Ryou smacked him on the shoulder and took it back from his friend.

Yami walked out of the pet store at that moment, dragging Yuugi behind him by his arm. The younger teen was trying his best to break free of Yami's hold so he could go back inside, but Yami just kept on walking with his eyes raised to the ceiling.

Ryou sighed, leaning into Bakura. After the school year ends, their boyfriends would be leaving for college. He didn't want to think about the three seniors leaving just yet. Being togther at that moment was all that mattered to him.

* * *

**A/N:**

This is the last chapter before the epilogue! I honestly can't believe it. It really seems like it hasn't been that long since I first posted chapter one. Looking back, I see that I've come a long way, and I couldn't have done it without the support of my readers! You guys are the best forever. As always, review as you please and I will get back to you ASAP!


	12. The End

**A/N:**

I lied! -gasp- There is no epilogue. Epilogues belong in stories that are ending for good. This is a _finale_!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! I've recently realized that I am the least consistent person in the world. I've finally decided that this story does, in fact, take place in Japan. So why are there so many American names? I've fixed that now. Please note the changes. Or don't note the changes. They're there, either way. In fact, if you do note the changes, I'll give you something nice! I'll even start you off. I've changed the names of Professor Green, Jake, Mrs. Necrophades, May, Josh, Rex Raptor, Simon, and Solomon.

Also, the school's courtyard and grounds are the same thing. Just clearing that up before I confuse you all right off the bat.

**Disclaimer:**

Yu-Gi-Oh! is not mine. Rats. Maybe next time.

* * *

**Friday, Domino High School Grounds, After School, Graduation**

The sun shone brightly that day, reflecting off of the glossy paint jobs on the cars in the parking lot. It was graduation day for Domino High's seniors, but that wasn't why the press was there on that day. Today was also the day that the sons of three influential billionaire families would graduate from high school and move on to the next stage in their lives. That's why the press was present, crowded onto the sidewalk by the school. Due to the attention of the press, the graduation ceremony was kept to friends and family only. Reporters from newspapers, magazines, and television stations lined the streets, each hoping for a scoop on the Ahknemkhanen, the Tokoshie, and the Necrophades families.

Inside the school courtyard, the principal had just finished handing out diplomas to the seniors. Their royal blue graduation gowns and caps made standing out in the hot sun even worse, so the principal was in a rush to finish the ceremony before anyone passed out from heat stroke. After the principal finished his final speech, the seniors broke out of their lines to go find their friends amidst the cheering throng of parents and friends. The reporters banged on the gates to the school grounds, trying to get the attention of anyone who would give them information.

Yami, Marik, and Bakura stood side by side under the shade of their favorite tree, trying not to be seen by their parents just yet. Bakura and Yami wanted a few more minutes to themselves before they were swept away in the ocean of reporters by their parents, who believed that media coverage was important for success. Yami's eyes swept across the sea of students and parents. By the gates, he noticed Mr. and Mrs. Necrophades enthusiastically answering questions that were no doubt about their son. "Any sign of my family?" Yami asked anxiously.

"None," Marik replied gloomily, twisting a strand of his blond hair around his index finger.

"Something wrong?" Bakura asked casually, still scanning the crowd.

"Just thinking," the senior replied quickly, snapping out of his despondent state. He had been thinking about his parents. When he was younger, they always made a big fuss out of academics. To see their son graduate high school had always been high on their priority list. He sighed inwardly before noticing two people out of the corner of his eye. "Yami, I see them."

"Shit," Yami cursed. He grabbed Bakura by the elbow and hauled him around to the other side of the tree, quickly followed by Marik. The three seniors collapsed to the ground and huddled together. "We cannot let them find us."

"Let who find you?" Malik asked curiously.

Marik quickly pulled Malik down towards him. "Don't let them see you!"

"And where the hell did you even come from?!" Bakura asked in a bewildered tone. He looked around quickly. "Did anyone see you?"

"Dunno," Malik replied, "So, who are you hiding from?"

"My parents," Yami answered agitatedly, "They want to turn the media loose on us."

"Oh, do they now?" Malik grinned devilishly.

"Don't even think about it," Marik warned harshly, "Or you're not allowed to come over today."

Malik laughed, giving the other blond a knowing smirk. "You're bluffing, and we all know it." His expression shifted dramatically to an almost guilty, worried look when he remembered why he had been searching out his significant other in the first place. "Hey, Marik? I need to tell you something important."

"There you all are!"

Standing in front of the four boys was a very serious looking lady in a navy power suit and heels. Her jet black hair was pulled into a tight bun, and only a few gray strands fell in front of her piercing crimson eyes. She was glaring fiercely at Yami and tapping her foot impatiently on the ground.

"H-Hello, Mother," Yami greeted weakly, turning pale. "Did you enjoy the ceremony?" he asked in an attempt to divert her attention.

"Why aren't you out there answering questions?! Do you know how many reporters are out there?!" Mrs. Ahknemkhanen ranted furiously at the three graduates, "This is a golden opportunity for you all! All of those people want to here about your accomplishments, and you're just hiding behind a tree! For heaven's sake, boys!" When none of them made a move to leave, her eye twitched. "Go!!"

The three teens shot up and all but ran away, leaving Malik alone with the angry woman. "Uhm," Malik began awkwardly, "I don't think we've met yet. I'm Malik Ishtar."

"Adria Ahknemkhanen," the lady said, attempting to control her temper, "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Ishtar, but I have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. If you'll excuse me, I have to make sure those three aren't looking for another hiding place." And with that, she strode away purposefully.

"Well!" Malik stated simply, standing up and brushing himself off. He left the shade of the tree and crossed the courtyard, smirking when he saw Bakura, Marik, and Yami standing helplessly in front of a sea of reporters with Yami's and Bakura's parents at their backs.

* * *

**Saturday, Necrophades Estate, Late Afternoon**

Ryou and Bakura walked up the path to the Necrophades' mansion together, hand-in-hand. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and the sun was beating down powerfully, heating up the air until it was almost unbearable. Bakura opened up the front door, and the two teens stepped inside into the large, air conditioned foyer. Ryou let out a sigh as the cool air hit him. Bakura threw his keys on the floor and pulled Ryou along across the foyer into the large, state of the art kitchen.

"Want anything to drink?" Bakura asked, opening up the refrigerator and peering inside of it.

"Just water thanks," Ryou replied, leaning against the island in the middle of the room. "So you said you had something to tell me?"

Instead of replying, Bakura grabbed two envelopes off of the counter and tossed them at Ryou. One was very official-looking with mail labels printed pasted onto it. The other was slightly crumpled and looked worn out. The address was handwritten in pencil and smudged in places. Both were opened at the top. Ryou reached into the first envelope and pulled out a form letter.

"_Bakura Necrophades,_

_We are very pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Rawlings University. The Rawlings staff are very appreciative that you have chosen to apply here, and we are confident that our campus will meet all of your needs. Enclosed is a course list and separate book lists that you will need for each class. We hope to see you this upcoming fall!_

_-The Rawlings Staff_

"Rawlings University?" Ryou asked, confusion showing on his face, "I've never heard of that school before." **(1)**

"Best basketball school in Japan," Bakura stated proudly, popping a cracker into his mouth. While Ryou had been examining the letters, Bakura had moved over to the pantry to find something to munch. "By the way, your water's sitting next to you," the older teen said carelessly, pointing to the spot by Ryou's elbow.

"Oh, thanks," Ryou answered distantly, curious about the contents of the second letter. He reached in and pulled out a tattered piece of notebook paper.

_Bakura,_

_Hey, it's Ez. Listen, I really can't go into much detail here, but you can all give up your manhunt for me now. It's bothersome, and I'm never coming back. You, mom, and dad have been great, but I can't live like that. Don't get me wrong here. I'm grateful to you guys, but all of that fame stuff isn't for me. You remember Rebecca Hawkins, right? Well, we aren't even in Japan anymore. It's complicated, but don't try and understand. You might hurt yourself if you think too hard, and I don't want to tell you too much right now in case my note gets intercepted. Take care of Togu and Aina. They're definitely an odd couple, but those two were alright to me._

_-Ez_

All Ryou could do was stare at the crumpled paper in shock. "Bakura, what does she mean by 'intercepted'?"

"She means that she fled Japan to escape her gang," Bakura replied lightly, munching on another cracker. He offered the box to the younger teen, "Want one?"

"What?!" he nearly shrieked, tumbling backwards. Bakura quickly placed a hand on the small boy's back to steady him. "Her gang?!"

"Yeah," the senior said, dragging the word out as if asking a question, "What, it wasn't obvious to you?" Ryou just shook his head. "Oh. Well that's different then," he stated, popping another cracker into his mouth, "I don't know why my parents didn't notice it. She was always leaving at ungodly hours of the night, and she never told anyone where she went when she wasn't at school. They never really took a good look around her room, either," he continued nonchalantly, as if he was merely chatting about the weather, "She always cleaned it by herself so they wouldn't notice all of the knives and spare bullets."

Ryou, completely thrown off, could only manage to reply with a short "Oh".

Bakura studied his boyfriend's face carefully for any underlying emotions, but Ryou just looked stunned. 'Culture shock,' he guessed, dismissing their conversation in favor of his own devices.

All of a sudden Ryou found himself sitting on the countertop while Bakura hastily undid the buttons on his button-up shirt and assaulted his mouth. Ryou parted his lips willingly and latched on to the sides of the counter for support. Sliding his skilled hands up Ryou's pale sides, Bakura moved down to nip at the sensitive skin on his boyfriend's collar bone. The younger teen writhed and whimpered, driving Bakura out of his mind. When Ryou wrapped his legs around Bakura's waist, the older teen took the opportunity to pick Ryou up right off of the countertop. Locking his arms around his boyfriend's neck quickly, Ryou pulled out of the kiss. He looked up at Bakura with a startled look on his face. Bakura ignored Ryou's alarm and captured his lips again.

In the back of his mind, Ryou wondered how Bakura was managing to navigate through the Necrophades' mansion while carrying him and kissing him senseless. Due to said senseless kissing, Ryou didn't even bother to acknowledge that he had even thought that.

A few staircases, hallways, and stumbles into walls later, they reached the familiar door with the "Bakura's Room" sign on it. Bakura kicked it open and crossed to the bed, throwing Ryou down on it and climbing on top of him. Something registered in the back of Ryou's mind, and he pushed up hard on Bakura's shoulders. The older teen ignored Ryou completely. After a few more shoves, Ryou gave up and bit down on Bakura's lip, breaking the skin. He pulled away from Ryou quickly and ran his tongue over his damaged flesh. "What the hell was that for?!"

Instead of answering his boyfriend, Ryou got up off of the bed and stared around with wide eyes. At first he was going to chastise Bakura for making his room look like a landfill, but on closer inspection he realized everything in the room was something of his that had gone missing. Not to mention the fact that the wallpaper in the room was completely covered with photos of Ryou. The teen just stood there with his mouth slightly open, unable to process what he was seeing.

Bakura, realizing the severity of the situation, backed away from Ryou. He stared in fear as Ryou turned in his spot to take in the rest of the room. After three minutes of silence, Ryou returned his gaze to Bakura. His warm brown eyes were hardened, showing a mix of anger, disbelief, and a hint of amusement. "What's all this then?" he asked in a clipped tone.

"Well, Ryou," Bakura began, clearing his throat nervously, "I, uh, found a new hobby recently, and-"

"What?!" Ryou nearly shrieked, taking a threatening step towards Bakura.

"I don't do it anymore," Bakura defended weakly, stepping back.

"Why would you even do something like this?" Ryou asked accusingly, trying to control his temper.

"Because I missed you," he stated simply. When Ryou just gave him a skeptical look, Bakura added, "A lot."

Ryou sighed heavily, wondering about Bakura's questionable sanity and it's affects on his questionable sanity. "It all has to go," he ordered.

Bakura looked disheartened. He shuffled his feet over to his nightstand and picked up a battered teddy bear. "Can I at least keep this?" he asked, hugging it tightly.

* * *

**Saturday, Tokoshie Estate, Late Afternoon**

Malik sat on the large bed in Marik's bedroom, waiting for him to come back from the kitchen. He clutched a single white envelope in his hands and stared at the floor with a look of misery on his face. The teen cast his gaze around the room for lack of anything better to do. The floors were a simple hardwood, and the walls were just plain paneling. There were a few windows with white molding framing them. Contrasting with the plain shell of them room was the furniture. In the corner of one room was a bench press machine with large weights on a rack against the wall. By the door stood a rack with a set of twenty dumbbells. The room contained many other machines that were used for weight training, but Malik had no idea what they were called or how to use them. The bed he was sitting on was low to the ground and in the shape of a circle. Numerous white pillows sat at the top of the bed. Letting out a breath of air, the teen let himself fall back heavily onto the comfy mattress.

Marik opened the door and walked into his room carrying a box of crackers and a fancy looking envelope. Spotting Malik on the bed, the teen made his way through the maze of equipment and sat down next to his boyfriend. "Want a cracker?" he asked, offering the box to Malik.

"Er, no thanks," Malik replied, sitting up. He looked his boyfriend straight in the eye, willing himself not to back down, "I have something important to tell you."

"Oh?" Marik asked, nibbling on the end of a cracker, "So do I. You first, though."

"Alright," Malik agreed, taking a deep breath, "I sent a letter and a recording of myself playing the pipe organ recently to be considered for a spot as an organ student to one of the best organists in the world."

"Really?" Marik asked, popping the last bits of a cracker into his mouth and pulling another out of the box.

"Yeah," the blond continued happily, "And he wrote me back! He said that he'd take me on as a student!"

"That's great!" Marik exclaimed, "Where does this guy live?"

Malik's gaze faltered. He looked down at his hands. "Berlin, Germany."

You could have heard a pin drop. Dead silence enveloped the two teens. Malik was too afraid to look up and see Marik's reaction, instead looking at the floor. After a few seconds, Marik spoke up. "Germany?"

"Yeah," Malik confirmed, looking up at Marik uncertainly.

"You can't go to Germany," Marik stated, shaking his head.

"Why not?" he asked, feeling his temper rise slightly.

"Because you have to go to America with me," the older teen informed him, standing up.

Malik stood up as well, shocked by what Marik had just said. "America?!" he asked in disbelief, "Why?!"

Marik held up the envelope he had been holding. "I was accepted to Atkins University in Colorado, and I thought it'd be nice if you came along. But if you want to run off to Berlin, then by all means go," he finished angrily, sounding hurt. **(2)**

"Marik…," Malik nearly whispered, reaching out to touch his forearm lightly, "I didn't mean it like that. I didn't know you wanted me to come with you, but even if had known I wouldn't have gone. This is something I really want to do, and an opportunity like this comes maybe once in a lifetime! I know it's going to be hard to be apart for so long, but I still want to try!" he explained in a pleading tone, hoping to placate his boyfriend.

Malik's confession sounded too well-rehearsed to Marik, but he let himself fall back onto his bed anyway, looking defeated. "How am I supposed to argue with that?"

* * *

**Saturday, Ahknemkhanen Estate, Night**

Yami sighed, stabbing the plate of food in front of him with his fork. He was sitting alone in the lavish dining room, waiting for his parents to get home. She had called him from her office over an hour ago, telling him hurriedly to wait for her at the dinner table. She had received a piece of news that morning that was apparently important enough for Yami's father to leave the office early and come home for. Yami couldn't even begin to imagine what was so important. His father never came home from his office before midnight.

The door opened slowly and a very stem looking man with slick black hair strolled through. He was wearing an immaculate black suit and hadn't bothered taking his sunglasses off. A single tanned hand raised in greeting before the man took a seat at the far end of the table, opposite of Yami.

"Hello, Father," the teen greeted in a clipped tone, setting his fork down.

The man gave a curt nod. "Atem," he said.

Yami nearly rolled his eyes at his father's use of his real name. He hated his given name. His parents had always had an odd fascination with Egypt. Atem, they had told him, was a name fit for a pharaoh, or, in his case, the heir of a major corporation. The only problem was that, being from Japan, his odd name singled him out almost as much as his lineage did. His first real friend was Marik, who also had an Egyptian name. The other children in their elite boarding school avoided the two due to their upstanding families. Even though they were enrolled in a special school for such children, their families were so wealthy that the other students wouldn't associate with either Yami or Marik. Because of this, the two grew up with only each other as friends. Bakura entered their lives later on in junior high. He was the only one who didn't seem to care about their odd names or their reclusiveness because he was the same way.

The door to the dining room burst open loudly, and Yami's mother marched in carrying an official looking envelope in one hand and a briefcase in another. Behind her walked a butler carrying two trays of food. The butler set one down in front of Mr. Ahknemkhanen and another right next to it. Mrs. Ahknemkhanen sat down in front of her plate, and the butler disappeared through the door, leaving the family alone together.

"Hello, Mother," Yami greeted in the same tone he had used previously with his father, shifting his gaze to her without moving his head.

"Atem," she replied hurriedly, ignoring the scathing look her son gave her, "I have big news."

"I'd gathered," he replied boredly, picking his fork up again and picking at his food.

Mrs. Ahknemkhanen opened up the envelope and began to read aloud. "Salutations, Mr. Ahknemkhanen. We are writing to inform you that you have been selected from a large group of candidates to attend the prestigious Japanese University of Business. Enclosed is a full syllabus of every course we offer. We look forward to your enrollment. Sincerely, The Japanese University of Business main office," she finished importantly. She stared hard at her son, waiting for his reaction to the news.

Yami just stared back. "Okay?"

"Okay? Okay?! Don't you know what this means?" she asked in bewilderment, "It means you will be attending the finest business school in Japan! This college was also my alma mater as well as your father's," she finished proudly.

"That's great then," Yami said, trying to muster up some enthusiasm for the sake of his parents when all he really wanted to do was get the hell away from them as soon as possible.

"Of course it is, Son," Yami's father stated, chewing a piece of food thoughtfully, "If you're going to run our empire someday, then this college is the only choice."

"Super," the teen replied, pushing his chair back and standing up, "Thanks for everything, you guys. Really." And with that, he strode out the door, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Ahknemkhanen to ponder their son's behavior.

Up and up the stairs Yami climbed. Down hallways, up staircases, through doors, up more staircases until it seemed that he couldn't possibly climb any higher. As he made his way up the last staircase and into a lone hallway at the very top of the house, he began to breathe easier. To him, it seemed as if just being so far away from everyone else lightened the burden of his parents' expectations. In this small hallway was a single door. It was a plain wooden door. No fancy etchings, odd colors, or adornments to mark it as anything out of the ordinary. Just a simple door. Turning the handle on this door, Yami entered his most favorite place in the world: his bedroom.

It was small, to say the least. Compared to the enormous estate, Yami's room was more of a closet. There was a plain twin bed with white sheets and a dark wood frame. A desk made of the same wood stood next to a lone, large window covered by a big, white curtain. The carpet was plushy and as pure white as the sheets and the curtain. The only colorful piece in the room was a single painting. It was of the large oak tree growing in the Domino High School courtyard.

* * *

**Sunday, Saint Mark's Church, Morning (3)**

Ryou trailed along behind his parents, tugging at the collar of his dress shirt. He sneezed quietly into his shirt sleeve, looking miserable. Despite his protests, they told him that he had missed too many church services already and had to come along this time. After the last time he had gone to a service, the teen was slowly shying away from the religion he had clung to for dear life in the past. Rolling his eyes skyward, he wondered why he couldn't be at home watching television instead.

As they went through the familiar doors of the church, Ryou spotted the pastor in his usual spot greeting the congregation. Making his way over, the teen offered the older man a smile. "Hey, Pastor Hikaru."

"Ah, Ryou," the man acknowledged cheerily, "How nice to see you again. You came at just the right time, too. I have something to discuss with you."

"Oh?" Ryou asked with his eyebrows raised. He had a sneaking suspicion of what the discussion would be about.

"I would first like to welcome you back to us, Ryou. We all missed you very much," he said sincerely, "And I am also wondering when you'd like to start classes."

"Classes?" Ryou asked, thoroughly confused. He quirked an eyebrow up at the older man, "Classes for what?"

"Why, classes to help you, of course!" the priest chuckled, as if Ryou had told him a funny joke.

The teen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why would I need help?"

Hikaru stopped laughing abruptly. "Well, you obviously didn't get the help you need at that clinic your parents sent you. I merely assumed that you were returning to the church so that we may help you instead."

"So now you have a problem with me, too?" Ryou snapped coldly, folding his arms over his chest defensively. In the back of his mind, he wondered just when exactly he had started to act so much like Bakura.

"While I am opposed to your, erm, lifestyle," the man stated nervously, "I have nothing against you as a person. It is the other members of the church I worry about as well as you, Ryou. Many of us are vehemently against homosexuality, and I fear that you will feel unwelcome."

"Well, maybe the only solution for me then would be to just never come back," Ryou concluded indignantly, "Wouldn't that solve everyone's problems?"

"Ryou, my boy, you are missing the point!" Hikaru cried sadly, "Running away from your problems will not solve them. Why don't you just schedule a few classes with me, and we'll take it from there?" He made his suggestion in an almost pitying tone, and Ryou knew exactly what was running through the man's head. Without another word, the teen spun around and walked right out the door.

The warm air helped to soothe his frazzled nerves as he stood on the sidewalk, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He couldn't help but be confused at himself, though. He had never been that angry before at anyone who obviously meant well. Laughing quietly to himself, he concluded that he had been spending too much time around Bakura. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed a very familiar number and put it up to his ear. It was answered a few rings later.

"Hey, Ryou," the voice of Bakura came through the speakers.

"Hey, Bakura," Ryou greeted back, feeling the last traces of anger leave him at the sound of his boyfriend's voice, "Can you come pick me up?"

"Whatever. You're at that church place, yeah?"

"Unfortunately. How long will you be?"

"Five minutes tops," Bakura replied smugly.

"See you then," Ryou concluded, snapping his phone shut. Slipping the device back into his pocket, he walked back to the church building and sat down on the stone steps to wait.

After a few minutes, a cherry red convertible came speeding down the road. It slowed to a stop by the curb, and the person driving it got out. After pulling off his sunglasses, the teen shook his shaggy white hair out of his face and grinned at Ryou. "You called?"

Ryou just laughed, clutching at his sides. Bakura stood there, blinking bemusedly for a few seconds while he waited for Ryou to calm down. "You sure do know how to make an entrance," the younger teen commented with one last chuckle, standing up and walking over to the other teen.

"It's part of my devilish charm," Bakura said with an offhand shrug, heading around the car and opening the door for Ryou to get in. After getting around to the driver's side and turning the engine on again, Bakura pecked Ryou quickly on the lips before straightening back up. "Where to, Boss?" he asked cheerily.

Ryou frowned and hooked an arm around Bakura's neck, pulling him back down so that their noses nearly touched. "That wasn't nearly good enough, I'm afraid."

"What have I done to you, my sweet, innocent Ryou?" the older teen asked happily, clearly enjoying himself immensely.

* * *

**Monday, Domino City Airport, Afternoon**

Standing in front of the large window that gave passengers waiting a full view of the tarmac, Yuugi suddenly felt very small. He put his hand up to the glass and stared out at all of the airplanes. Yami came up behind him and placed his hand over his boyfriend's. Yuugi smiled at their reflection, and his smile widened when Yami mirrored the action. "I'll never see him again," Yuugi stated plainly, gazing back out as an airplane took off.

"Are you sad?" Yami asked curiously, resting his chin on top of Yuugi's head.

"Not really," he confessed, "I know I should since he's my dad and everything, but I can only handle so many control freaks in my life."

"Yeah," Yami agreed. His brows furrowed as he realized what Yuugi said. "Hey!"

Yuugi laughed melodically. "I'm only joking, Yami."

"Ah, there you boys are," Sugoroku called, walking up to him. He was followed by a dour looking Roku carrying his briefcase. Yami and Yuugi spun around, keeping their hands together. Yuugi moved to stand beside Yami, giving his boyfriend a reassuring smile.

"My flight is boarding now. I would like one final word with Yuugi," Roku said, almost asking Yami's permission.

Yuugi looked at Yami quickly before untangling their hands and following Roku to a spot by the line to get on the flight. He quirked his eyebrow at his father. "Yes?"

"You and Sugoroku may have won this time, Yuugi, but mark my words I will be back for you. I am still your father and I will find a way to gain custody of you," Roku told him somewhat hushedly, staring at his son intently and somewhat angrily.

"Good luck with that," Yuugi told him, somewhat sarcastically.

"Hide your fear behind your sarcasm, Yuugi, because all you ever do is hide. Just like your mother," Roku spat, and with that he spun around and entered the tunnel to the plane to catch his flight just as they were closing the door.

Yuugi's mask of indifference broke and he suddenly felt like crying. Walking back to Yami and Sugoroku, he attempted to put atleast a small smile back on his face for their sake.

"What did he say?" Sugoroku asked curiously.

"Nothing out of line, I hope," Yami stated, grabbing Yuugi's hand again and giving it a squeeze. He had seen every emotion on Yuugi's face before the small teen had managed to look unconcerned again, and he had nearly marched onto the plane after Roku and gave him something to think about. All he wanted to do was to hold Yuugi and make him confess what was on his mind as well as what his father had said. There would be plenty of time for talking later, though.

"I'm fine, Yami," Yuugi stated to himself as well as to his boyfriend. Somehow, saying those words and holding the older teen's hand made him feel better already. "Let's just go, okay?"

Together, the three of them walked back towards the exit of the airport as another plane took off behind them into the bright blue sky.

* * *

**A/N:**

And they all lived happily ever after. Okay, not really. That would be boring.

I'm going to miss this story. It really was a learning experience for me. Pun intended, of course. All of your comments gave me such amazing inspiration and confidence in myself. I'm the type of person who would write something and be too afraid to post it, but you lot have been nothing but kind to me! I will never forget any of you for as long as I live!

Wow. Try saying goodbye to a fanfiction you've been working on for nearly a year and listening to "Come Sail Away" by Styx at the same time. I might actually choke up. But seriously, go give it a listen.

Hm, I know I've mentioned it a million times, but it still feels like I'm keeping a secret. No one reads the author's notes anyway. **FREE PORN!! **Are you paying attention now? Okay good. I am, in fact, planning a sequel to this. I mean, come on, this is a terrible way to end something! Everybody is leaving each other! If you guys don't want me to write a sequel, I totally won't, but I'm just saying it would be way better than this. Well thought out, proper grammar, reasonable update times, prewritten content, coherent plotline…

The ramble-fest is over! Go outside and play!

**-_VenusOfHecate_**

**Footnotes:**

1: Totally made that up. I just took the name of a brand of basketball and turned it into a college. Because I can. Also, I have no idea what a college acceptance letter looks like, but I imagine it would go something like that.

2: Also made that up. I think. I never checked to see if any of these are actual schools…

3: I just realized that Christianity isn't popular in Japan. So lets just pretend it is.

4: Technically this isn't a footnote, but I've just realized that American football and basketball are probably not that popular in Japan. Let's pretend they are?


	13. The Future

**A/N:**

Attention lovely readers who are still subscribed to this story! I would like to bring to your attention the fact that the sequel has been posted! Oooooh! Ahhhhh! Rather, it will be posted in a few days. I'm giving all of you lovelies who are reading this message right now a special sneak preview of chapter one!

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, and I really hope you already knew that.

* * *

**Sophomores, Freshmen, and a Love Story**

I'm so sorry, Yami," Yuugi repeated over and over hysterically.

"For what?" he asked curiously, placing a kiss on top of Yuugi's head. He breathed in the scent of the younger teen's shampoo, letting the scent calm his frazzled nerves.

"I should be happy for you. You're going off to college, and it really is a wonderful thing! I just can't help but hate it!" he wailed, snapping his head up to look at Yami while frantically wiping the tear stains off of his cheeks.

"I don't want to leave you, Yuugi," Yami confessed sincerely, "But I have to. Promise me that you won't forget to write me letters and call me whenever you can."

-----------

"You know," Marik began musingly as they parted momentarily, "There's still time to change your mind."

"Don't tempt me," Malik countered back playfully, leaning his head up again and silencing all other comments from Marik.

Behind him, someone cleared their throat loudly. Marik turned his head to gaze at the interrupter through half-lidded eyes. "You really ought to get that checked," he commented.

"Sir, your jet is ready to take off," the man said, running his hands down his suit in a nervous gesture, as if to smooth out any creases or wrinkles.

Marik squeezed Malik one last time before kissing him lovingly on the forehead. "Try not to have too much fun without me, alright? And if a stranger offers you a ride, only go with him if he has candy."

-----------

Bakura stirred Ryou out of his thoughts with a kiss to his temple. "Tired?" he asked, noticing the way the smaller teen's eyelids were fluttering.

"Not really," Ryou said quietly, stifling a yawn.

"Sure you're not," Bakura agreed sarcastically, guiding Ryou over to the row of chairs in front of the window, sitting down, and pulling him up onto his lap. The smaller teen let his head fall onto Bakura's chest, noticing absentmindedly how incredibly comfortable it was. Bakura ran his hands up and down Ryou's back, through his hair, and over his shoulders in a comforting gesture. It had been a stressful day for the teen.

* * *

**A/N:**

You aren't obligated to review or anything, but I am curious to see how many people have read my sneak peek and what you all think of it.

Yours,

-_VenusOfHecate_


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